RegTech Real Talk

The £16 Million Shopping Spree That Rewrote Financial Crime


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When a £600,000 shopping spree at Harrods exposed an international money laundering operation

Zamira Hajiyeva treated Harrods like her corner store - £32,000 on chocolates, £24,000 on tea, £600,000 in a single morning. But behind the absurd consumption was her husband's $3.5 billion theft from Azerbaijan's state bank.

This episode follows the UK's first-ever Unexplained Wealth Order - a legal weapon that forces the ultra-wealthy to explain their impossible lifestyles. After 6 years of legal battles and one spectacularly misguided selfie with law enforcement, Zamira lost her mansion and golf club... but kept £10 million.

Jamahal and Charlie explore how this case exposed the limits of fighting kleptocracy: even with overwhelming evidence, revolutionary legal tools, and international cooperation, the criminals often keep enough to stay comfortable.

A story about stolen billions, industrial-scale luxury consumption, and why the house always wins - even when it loses.

For more on the financial compliance angle read Anqa's story: From Luxury Shopping Sprees to Legal Scrutiny


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RegTech Real TalkBy ANQA COMPLIANCE