Azerbaijani minister of culture dismissed after corruption scandal
Minister of culture of Azerbaijan Abulfas Karaev has been dismissed, however no explanation as to why has been given.
Shortly before that, the state security service said there was evidence of fraud in the activities of the ministry of culture.
The deputy minister was arrested on charges of abuse of power, embezzlement and forgery. It is with this corruption scandal that society connects the resignation of Karaev.
Over the past six months, ‘purges’ among high-ranking officials have become more frequent in Azerbaijan. But so far they have not affected the heads of departments.
63-year-old Abulfas Karaev belongs to the Russian-speaking elite of the country, formed back in Soviet times. He has spent more than 14 years as minister of culture.
Among the population, Karayev was not the target of either special popularity or particular hostility (unlike some other ministers). Most often, he was accused of passivity and the fact that old buildings were being demolished in Baku.
Actually, it is the very demolition of architectural monuments that Karaev’s deputy was charged with.
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It is still unknown who will head the ministry of culture, and users of social media are presenting their own versions on this score.
The most popular “comic candidacy” is the current minister of economics Mikail Jabbarov. He is “famous” among the people, first of all, for having managed to be the head of three ministries in seven years (education, taxes, and now, the economy).
On the whole, everyone agrees that some young “reformer” with a foreign education from the clan of the first lady and first vice president of the country Mehriban Aliyeva will be appointed to the place of Abulfas Karaev.
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