Son of former Azerbaijani regional leader buys hotel and land worth millions in Georgia
Azerbaijani official buys hotel in Georgia
Rza Talibov, the son of Vasif Talibov, former head of the Nakhchivan Supreme Assembly, and now an official at Azerbaijan’s migration service, has purchased a luxury hotel and a new plot of land in Georgia.
The story was reported by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Hotel for $8.6m, land for $730,000
According to the investigation, 43-year-old Rza Talibov bought the London 1889 hotel in Batumi in May this year for $8.6m. The deal was carried out through the purchase of 100% of the shares in B-Pearl Turizm, the company that owns the hotel.
In July, using the same company, he acquired a 2,000 sq metre seaside plot in the coastal settlement of Makhinjauri, near Batumi, for $730,000.
The hotel had previously operated under the name Divan Suites and was owned by Talibov. But in 2023, amid his father’s resignation and growing political pressure in Nakhchivan, he sold it.
The purchase was financed through a loan
In an email to OCCRP, Talibov said the purchases in Georgia were financed through loans from Azerbaijani and Georgian banks. He described the earlier sale and subsequent buyback as “an asset redistribution strategy.”
Journalists have noted, however, that Talibov simultaneously holds a senior state post while running multimillion-dollar business operations in Georgia. Under Azerbaijani law, public officials may own shares in companies but are required to file annual declarations of income and assets. It has not been made public whether Talibov submitted such a declaration.
The Talibov family’s wealth
Previous OCCRP investigations found that the Talibov family owns property in Georgia and the United Arab Emirates worth a total of $63m. The family also exercised full control over Nakhchivan Bank, which for many years was the region’s main financial institution.
Vasif Talibov, who ruled the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic from 1995, has long been associated with authoritarian governance and repression. International media have frequently referred to Nakhchivan as “Azerbaijan’s North Korea.”
Court testimonies reveal years of illicit income for the Talibov family
After Talibov’s resignation, testimony from several former Nakhchivan officials in court revealed that the family had been receiving unofficial income for many years.
Former finance minister Rafael Aliyev admitted in court that he personally handed over 3 million manats to Vasif Talibov’s son, Seymur Talibov.
Former customs committee chairman Sahat Habibbayli said bribes worth $2.5m–$3m were collected every month and passed on to the leadership, amounting to more than $30m a year.
Despite this, no member of the Talibov family has yet faced trial on charges of abuse of office.
Azerbaijan lags in corruption rankings
Official Baku claims to be fighting corruption, but international indicators tell a different story. In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, Azerbaijan scored just 22 out of 100, ranking 154th out of 180 countries.
At the same time, several independent journalists investigating corruption, including staff at Abzas Media, are currently in detention. They say the charges against them were brought in retaliation for their reporting on corruption cases.
Azerbaijani official buys hotel in Georgia
