According to Article 122 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, ministers cannot engage in any entrepreneurial activity. In addition, the absence of a tender on the public procurement portal violates the principle of accessibility of information.

"Government procurement has four main principles: transparency, accessibility of information, fairness and competition. And they must be observed. If one of them is violated, the tender can be considered illegal," human rights activist Khalid Bagirov noted in a conversation with journalists.

OCCRP has previously reported that more journalists and dissidents are ending up in prison in Azerbaijan ahead of the September 2024 elections, including six employees of Abzas Media.

The founder of the publication, Ulvi Hasanli, was arrested after 40,000 euros were allegedly found in the editorial office, which had been illegally stored there. According to Abzas Media employees, they did not have this money, and it was apparently planted by law enforcement officers. “Ulvi Hasanli was arrested on the orders of Ilham Aliyev, because we proved that the companies of [Aliyev’s] relatives won contracts… using non-transparent schemes,” says the editor-in-chief of the publication, Sevinc Vagif kizi. “The purpose of Ulvi Hasanli’s arrest and the false accusations brought forward is to stop the work of Abzas Media. From now on, there should be no journalists or media outlets that expose corruption in our country.”