Mahir Rafiyev is an official at the Azerbaijani tax ministry, where, in 2016, he reportedly headed the taxpayers’ services department.[769] In 2013, Arzu Aliyeva transferred her shares in ZODIAC Immobilienbesitz s.r.o., a company that she founded in the Czech Republic, to Rafiyev.[174] [176] In 2012, the company owned a 1 million euro ($1.28 million) villa in the high-end neighborhood of Karlovy Vary in Prague.[518] [511] In 2011, Rafiyev was a shareholder of AtaBank, a banking subsidiary of AtaHolding, an Azerbaijani conglomerate linked to the Aliyeva sisters.[304] [664]
Mahir Rafiyev did not respond to The Sentry’s request for comment.
