Azerbaijan’s ruling elite operated a secret $2.9bn fund for two years to pay prominent Europeans, buy luxury goods and launder money through a network of opaque British companies, The Guardian reported.

The result is the Azerbaijani Laundromat — so called because the vast sums that passed through it were laundered through a series of shell companies to disguise their origin. The project reveals the many uses to which the country’s kleptocratic ruling clique puts some of its billions.

The leaked data shows that Azerbaijan’s leadership that is accused of violation of human rights, systematic corruption and election rigging made over 16,000 secret transactions from 2012 to 2014.

The part of money was paid to politicians and journalists within international lobbying operation to avoid criticism against Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev amd promote positive image of his country.

The data covers a 30-month period. It may show the tip of an iceberg, the Guardian writes.