Sea Breeze Construction, which belongs to Emin Aghalarov, a pop star and former son-in-law of the President Ilham Aliyev, won a public procurement worth over ₼34 million ($20 million) for the construction of residential buildings in Gubadli district, which was under Armenian control until 2020.
Aghalarov is the ex-husband of Leyla Aliyeva, Aliyev’s eldest daughter.
Pro-government outlet Banker.az wrote that the construction and installation works in the residential area of the city of Gubadli ‘were acquired by the Rehabilitation, Construction, and Management Service’.
According to independent media outlet Meydan TV, Sea Breeze Construction is a subsidiary of Sea Breeze LLC. The company was established in 2006 by Aghalarov.
Aliyev has previously handed public procurement tenders to relatives and acquaintances, including inside Nagorno-Karabakh and its surroundings.
In an interview with Italy’s Le Repubblica, Aliyev openly said that his relatives and family members were involved in business and various projects in the country.
Aghalarov’s own ventures regularly receive government support as well.
On 15 April, the government signed a decree greenlighting a Sea Breeze project to create artificial islands covering 55 hectares of the Caspian Sea coast for residential and commercial buildings. As a result of the decree, the Economy Minister entered into an agreement with Nardaran Invest LLC, which also belongs to Aghalarov.
Aytan Farhadova
