‘Laundromat’ funneled donations to US lawmakers

A new investigation by The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) shows how a series of transfers from two shell companies at the heart of the  Azerbaijani Laundromat funneled over a million and a half dollars to an organization which then engaged with a US lobbying firm to improve Azerbaijan’s image in the US. In the process, the firm’s representatives gave thousands of dollars in campaign donations, including to Senators and Representatives who sat on committees that determine foreign aid budgets.

The details are provided in the latest update on corruption presented by Transparency International which has an active operation in Panama.

Furthermore, a quarter of a million dollars went to an influential American oil and gas consultant of Azerbaijani origin who worked to influence US policy in favour of his native country. His lobbying raises the question of whether he should have registered as a foreign agent, as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires people representing the interests of foreign countries to do.