Our investigation about Alkagesta has hit the headlines in the Azeri press with many press outlets quoting our investigation directly. We were also featured by the BBC in Azerbaijan. Our investigation on Alkagesta was picked up following the arrest of Adnan Ahmadzada last week.
Among the press outlets that quote us there is News 356 which has reported that Adnan Ahmadzada was sentenced to a 4-month detention period by the Sabail District Court. He is being charged of “embezzlement” and “provocation against economic security” according to the press report. Other press reports include those of the Baku Post, Moderna, Publika, and Axar. A Romanian press outlet also covered our investigation with a very interesting headline.
Meanwhile, Malta’s government funded press such as MaltaToday (KascoToday) are running a PR campaign in favour of Alkagesta. Malta’s Police are unfazed and if in normal countries you would have expected the Police to raid the offices of Alkagesta after Adnan Ahmadzada was arrested, you can expect the Maltese Police to do the exact opposite. The Police are still trying to figure out what this is all about. Meanwhile, the FIAU is taking notes and will probably start scouring bank accounts but their investigations are often ignored by the Police.
This is a scandal that is unfolding on an international dimension. The Labour government assumed that despite gutting the Police and the Financial Crimes Investigations Department to prevent the prosecution of Labour Party politicians, it would still be able to have a functional police force. However, the result of this dysfunction is that the Police are unwilling and unmotivated to understand and prosecute sophisticated financial crime, especially if this crime is politically related. Alkagesta may be very well trading Russian oil in Malta at this moment and probably, it will continue to do so, because the Police will simply refuse to clamp down.
The usual adage will probably be used as a excuse: it’s just a press report so there is nothing to see here.
Alkagesta is currently being investigated by the UK and EU authorities over Russian oil trading in Malta and Europe.
Below is a televised broadcast by the Baku Post in which we are also mentioned.
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Historian and Publisher
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