Zamira Hajiyeva, the wife of a former boss of the Azerbaijani state bank jailed for fraud, has lost her final appeal against a court order forcing her to reveal how she came by so much money.
If she fails to comply, the UK’s National Crime Agency will be able to seize £22m worth of property, including her home in Knightsbridge, central London, and an £11m Berkshire golf course.
The supreme court announced on Monday that it had dismissed Hajiyeva’s appeal against the unexplained wealth order made against her by the National Crime Agency. Hajiyeva had already failed to convince the court of appeal and the high court to overturn the order, secured in 2018.
Graeme Biggar, director general of the national economic crime centre at the NCA, said:
“This is a significant result which is important in establishing unexplained wealth orders as a powerful tool for financial investigations. This was the first UWO secured and the NCA has been determined throughout the many legal challenges faced over the last two years. This case will set a helpful precedent for future UWO cases.”
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