The State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture has entrusted urban planning for the liberated villages of Baghanis Ayrim and Gizilhajili in Gazakh to a company that Deputy Minister of Science and Education Kanan Karimzade once served as a legal representative.

 On a rainy May day in 2024, Major General Vusal Sultanov of the Azerbaijan State Border Service reported to President Ilham Aliyev on four villages in Gazakh recently liberated after decades of Armenian occupation. 

These villages were returned through negotiations, without a single shot being fired. For years, displaced residents had longed for their homeland. Now they look upon the ruins of the homes they left behind over 30 years ago with deep sorrow, but eagerly awaiting the day they can return. 

The oldest resident of liberated Baghanis Ayrim village, Shamil Adigozalov, wished President Aliyev good health and said he would sacrifice an animal as soon as he returned to the village. Zerbali Khassayev said he would visit the graves of his deceased relatives.

These elderly displaced residents did not know who would be setting foot in Baghanis Ayrim before them. Investigations lead to a high-ranking official who once served as the legal representative for a company linked to the president's family.

In December 2024, the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture signed two procurement contracts with Design Bureau LLC to prepare urban planning projects for two villages in Gazakh district. The company received 194,818 manats (about $US115,000) for Baghanis Ayrim village and 174,758 manats (about $US103,000) for Gizilhajili village.

The State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture awarded the contracts without holding a tender. The contracts are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Who are the “first beneficiaries” of the reconstruction of Baghanis Ayrım and Gizilhajili villages? 

Design Bureau LLC, operating in the field of design and architecture, was established in 2019. Initially registered as Startup Investments LLC, the company changed its name in March 2022.

According to recent registry data, the company's legal representative has been Orkhan Faig oglu Jabbarov. Since 2023, he has also been a member of “Xalq Bank”s Audit Committee. But he has not been the key figure in Design Bureau LLC.

When Design Bureau LLC was founded, its legal representative was Kanan Shakir oglu Karimzade, who also was serving as the Deputy Minister of Science and Education. He remained with the company until March 2022. 

Starting in 2020, Karimzade served as an advisor to the Minister of Science and Education. In 2021, he became the head of the Department of Economics of Education at the ministry. On December 25, 2023, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Science and Education. 

Kanan Karimzade hails from a bureaucratic family. His father, Shakir Karimov, works as the head of the Mobile Tax Inspections Department at the No. 11 Territorial Tax Department. A finance specialist by training, Karimzade pursued his education at Fordham University in New York and earned an international certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst.

How did his path intersect with the company owned by the president's family?

In 2016, Kenan Karimzade joined PMD Group LLC, a company belonging to Aliyev’s family. He started as a Chief Specialist in Investments, then became Head of Investments, In 2019 and 2020, he served as the Head of the Strategic Planning and Analysis Department.

Design Bureau LLC is officially registered at the same address as other companies belonging to Aliyev’s family, including Pasha Holding and PMD Group: 153 Neftchilar Avenue, Nasimi District, Baku.

Design Bureau LLC’s official website is registered under the name of Aliyev Fizuli Ibrahim oglu. According to the company’s registry listings for 2024, he is the company’s legal representative.

Fizuli Aliyev, an architect, has also worked in companies owned by the Aliyev’s family. He held senior positions at Pasha Construction LLC, PMD Group LLC, and PMD Projects LLC. Since mid-2022, he has been legal representative for Design Bureau LLC.

Gizilhajili and Baghanis Ayrim are not the first projects undertaken by Design Bureau in the recently liberated areas. The company has also been involved in both private and government reconstruction contracts in Karabakh. The company did design work for "Aghdam City Hotel" and the Fuzuli Memorial Complex, both belonging to the president’s family. 

Design Bureau LLC has also participated in projects in the capital Baku. In 2023, the company signed a procurement contract worth 414,642.56 manats (about $US245,000) with Baku Metro CJSC and carried out technical design work for the Alat Economic Zone headquarters. The company has been subjected to minor financial sanctions for failing five times to submit VAT declarations on time. 

For Baghanis Ayrim and Gizilhajili villages, no information regarding contract terms with Design Bureau LLC can be found either on the official public procurement portal or the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture's website.

As of publications, this committee has not answered questions about why the contracts were assigned to Design Bureau LLC and whether the committee knew of the company’s connections with government officials. 

The company has also carried out design work for the Gazakh Teacher’s Seminary under the initiative of ADA University, which is under the Ministry of Education.

The rector of ADA University is Hafiz Pashayev, the uncle of Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice President and the wife of Aliyev. Both Mehriban Aliyeva and the Minister of Education Emin Amrullayev are members of the ADA Board of Trustees. 

Restoration works at the seminary started in the fall of 2021. Kanan Karimzade was the legal representative of Design Bureau LLC until March 2022. During this period, he held his positions at the Ministry.

Article 9.3.3 of the Law on Combating Corruption states that, except for scientific, pedagogical, or creative activities, engaging in entrepreneurial activities directly by a public official is considered a legal violation that creates conditions for corruption.

Article 18 of the Law on Civil Service stipulates that a civil servant must submit an annual financial report to the head of the agency they serve, indicating the source, type, and amount of any additional income.

Did Kanan Karimzade provide any information about his involvement in a private company to the public agency where he held office? Were any disciplinary actions taken against him? We were unable to obtain a response from the Ministry of Science and Education. 

In 2024, he was among civil servants recognized with a medal established on the 100th anniversary of the birth of former President Heydar Aliyev, father of the current president.