Azerbaijan's president fires tax minister with no explanation

By bne IntelliNews December 6, 2017

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dismissed the country's long-serving tax minister, Fazil Mammadov, on December 5. The president's office did not give an explanation for the decision. Mammadov was replaced by Mikail Jabbarov.

Mammadov had served in his position for 19 years. Instances of veteran politicians being dismissed have become more frequent in the opaque oil-rich country, in which the president and his family are believed to, de facto, control all the state powers and much of the business environment.

In October 2015, Aliyev dismissed Eldar Mahmudov, the then-security ministry, together with 250 others and proceeded to do away with the security ministry altogether. Shortly after, he moved to dismiss Ali Abbasov, the communications minister. And, in  February 2017, the former powerful transport minister, Ziya Mammadov (no relation to Fazil Mammadov), was fired. All of the above had served in their positions for over a decade and had well-known private interests in the sectors that they oversaw.

The former tax minister has been linked to a business conglomerate, Ata Holding, the ultimate beneficiaries of which are believed to be Aliyev and his family. 

Read in IntelliNews Pro
Get IntelliNews Pro

Related Articles

Nagorno-Karabakh protests enter their third day

Demonstrators blocked off one of the central streets in Stepanakert, the capital of the Azerbaijani separatist republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, on June 4 as protests entered their third day.  ... more

Azerbaijan to seek better terms from Formula One

The organisers of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix have asked global motorsports business Formula One to reduce the race sanctioning fee they have to pay, according to reports in the sports media.  ... more

Fire breaks out in Baku’s former Trump Tower

At least four people were injured in a fire that broke out in the 33-storey former Trump Tower in Baku on April 28.  The building was originally planned as a Trump Tower, but never opened ... more

Most Read

  1. Azerbaijan makes territorial gains in Nakhchivan as fighting with Armenia flares
    2 days ago
  2. STOLYPIN: Putin builds a Presidential Administration fit for stagnation
    8 days ago
  3. Turkish Elections: Expect the unexpected
    1 day ago
  4. Irish tech titan lines up stake in Slovak AI firm
    4 days ago
  5. UPDATED: Leader of Romania’s ruling PSD gets prison sentence in abuse of office case
    1 day ago
  1. KRUK REPORT: The unbearable lightness of being alive
    22 days ago
  2. Sberbank oil analyst Alex Fak fired for being openly critical of state-owned gas giant Gazprom
    1 month ago
  3. COMMENT: Russia’s oil giant Rosneft just crossed one of China’s red lines in Vietnam
    17 days ago
  4. STOLYPIN: Putin builds a Presidential Administration fit for stagnation
    8 days ago
  5. Azerbaijan makes territorial gains in Nakhchivan as fighting with Armenia flares
    2 days ago

Selected articles from our premium news/views wire IntelliNews Pro

Login to IntelliNews Pro
Get IntelliNews Pro

Reports

Dismiss