Kamaladdin Heydarov Fattah oglu (Azerbaijani: Kəmaləddin Heydərov Fəttah oğlu; born 15 July 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician and businessperson serving as the Minister of Emergency Situations.

Kamaladdin Heydarov
Kəmaləddin Heydərov
Heydarov in 2011
Minister of Emergency Situations
Assumed office
6 February 2006
PresidentIlham Aliyev
Preceded byoffice established
Chairman of State Customs Committee
In office
1995 – 6 February 2006
PresidentHeydar Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Succeeded byAydin Aliyev
Personal details
Born (1961-07-15) 15 July 1961 (age 63)
Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR
Parent
  • Fattah Heydarov (father)
Military service
Allegiance Azerbaijan
Branch/serviceMinistry of Emergency Situations
RankColonel General

He has close ties to the ruling Aliyev family in Azerbaijan.[1] BBC News described Heydarov as among "the wealthiest and most powerful in the governing elite" in Azerbaijan.[2] His family owns a network of offshore companies.[3] He chaired the State Customs Committee from 1995 to 2006.

Early life

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Heydarov was born on 15 July 1961 in Nakhchivan City, Azerbaijan.[4] He has graduated from Baku State University with a degree in Geography.[5]

In 1992, he left Azerbaijan for Uzbekistan and opened several business firms.[6]

Political career

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He founded a company called Gilan in the 1980s, but the details about the company are opaque.[2][3]

President Heydar Aliyev appointed Heydarov as Chairman of the State Customs Committee in 1995.[7] In this role he was widely reported to have extracted bribes from companies importing goods to Azerbaijan.[8] According to a 2010 leaked US diplomatic cable, Heydarov accrued "massive wealth" as chairman of “an agency that is notoriously corrupt, even by Azerbaijani standards.”[1]

On February 6, 2006 Heydarov was appointed the Minister of Emergency Situations, a newly formed ministry.[6][9]

BBC News described Heydarov as among "the wealthiest and most powerful in the governing elite" in Azerbaijan.[2]

Daphne Project scandal

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Heydarov was implicated in the Daphne Project investigation into secretive investments across Europe and the Middle-East through a Maltese bank.[1]

Personal life

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Heydarov is married. He and his wife have two children, Nijat and Tale. The sons own a network of offshore companies that have invested tens of millions of pounds in Europe.[3]

Heydarov has composed songs under the name Kamal. His latest album is called Sənə güvəndiyim dağlar (Azerbaijani: The mountains to lean on). His songs have been performed by famous singers such as Flora Kerimova, Ilhama Guliyeva, Aygun Kazimova, Zulfiyya Khanbabayeva.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Pilatus: A Private Bank for Azerbaijan's Ruling Elite". OCCRP. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  2. ^ a b c "Azerbaijan boom benefits super-rich oil elite". BBC News. 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  3. ^ a b c Garside, Juliette; Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (2018-04-23). "Azeri ruling families linked to secret investments via Maltese bank". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  4. ^ "KƏMALƏDDİN HEYDƏROV DƏBDƏBƏLİ AD GÜNÜ KEÇİRİB" [Kamaladdin Heydarov holds a fancy birthday party]. Yeni Musavat. Archived from the original on 2011-04-26. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  5. ^ "Rəhbərlik haqqında məlumat" [Information about the management]. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  6. ^ a b "Xəbərlər "Reuters": "Azərbaycanın ən nüfuzlu oliqarxı"" [Reuters news: The most famous oligarch of Azerbaijan]. RFE/RL. 2006-02-07. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  7. ^ "The Next Report From Wikileaks – About Kamaladdin Heydarov - Politics - Азербайджан". Contact.az. 2010-03-01. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  8. ^ Fady, Asly (2016). Life with Scorpions. The Financial. pp. 73 onward. ISBN 9789941465604.
  9. ^ "Kəmaləddin Heydərov Azərbaycanın fövqəladə hallar naziri, Aydın Əliyev isə dövlət gömrük komitəsinin sədri təyin edilib" [Kamaladdin Heydarov appointed Minister of Emergency Situations, Aydin Aliyev - Chairman of the State Customs Committee]. Voice of America. 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  10. ^ "Bəstəkar Kamalın 4 diskdən ibarət musiqi albomu" [Album consisting of 4 CDs by composer Kamal was released]. Archived from the original on 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2010-11-08.