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A woman who spent £ 16 million in Harrods and is the subject of the first British "dirty money" investigation at McMafia was released on bail after nine days of detention following a request for extradition to Azerbaijan.
Zamira Hajiyeva was arrested by the Metropolitan Police last week at the request of the Azerbaijani authorities, where she is being sought on two counts of embezzlement. Her husband, Jahangir Hajiyev, was jailed in 2016 for defrauding the national bank of Azerbaijan by 5 billion manats (2.2 billion pounds sterling).
Hajiyeva was released on bail Thursday, after a higher court rejected the Azerbaijani government's request to keep her in detention until the extradition hearing. Judge Jeremy Baker stated that there was no "substantial reason" to deny bail to Hajiyeva.
Hajiyeva, 55, denies the charges. It is the first target of the new British system of unexplained makeshift orders, dubbed the McMafia laws after the drama of the BBC One. Hajiyeva, known only under the name of Mrs. A until an order of anonymity is lifted last month, risks losing two British real estate worth 22 million euros. pounds sterling if it does not explain the existence of a legitimate source of funds used to buy a townhouse of 11.5 million pounds sterling in Knightsbridge, central London and a golf course of 10.5 million pounds near Ascot, in Berkshire.
Earlier this year, a court heard that Hajiyeva had spent more than £ 16 million on Harrods over a decade. Last week jewelry worth £ 400,000 was seized from Christie's as part of the deal.
Hajiyeva's lawyer said, "Our client remains convinced that she will be able to defeat this politically motivated request for extradition.
"Our 55-year-old mother of three has close ties to the UK. It is unfortunate that she was sentenced to spend more than nine days in detention while she had fully cooperated with the British authorities and had surrendered them by appointment in connection with this application. "
The judge ruled that Hajiyeva should be released on bail but be subject to a curfew from 9 pm to 6 am. It must also be electronically marked, report to the Charing Cross Police Station every morning and not travel outside the M25.
