Photographs of the Azerbaijan government jet at Malta airport on Monday

Published: February 19, 2014 at 3:42pm

Here are two photographs of the Azerbaijan government jet which landed in Malta the day before yesterday. The pictures were taken by plane-spotters and uploaded on Flickr.

The other photograph shows the same jet elsewhere – I uploaded it for its details.

I am informed that this jet requested permission to land in Malta for refuelling and was meant to stay for an hour for that purpose. It then stayed for 24 hours and was found to have been in no particular need of refuelling.

Azeri gov jet Malta 1

Azeri gov jet Malta 2

Azeri gov jet Malta




61 Comments Comment

  1. La Redoute says:

    The jet arrived on the 17th and left on the 18th. That’s more than enough time to pick a passport or dozen.

  2. DOI says:

    Birds of a feather flock together.

  3. La Redoute says:

    http://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Regions-and-countries/Azerbaijan/Corruption-and-oil-in-Azerbaijan-109421

    Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, formerly responsible for RFE/RL Azerbaijan, explains the scandalous case of Socar Trading, a subsidiary of the state oil company has used for direct selling of a portion of the national oil since 2008. Socar Trading’s structure and activities are ambiguous to say the least.

    “It is registered in Switzerland and is shared, half by the Azeri state company and half by private investors who sprung out from nowhere, ” Ismayilova, who is currently investigating this story, tell us. “Nobody knows where the capitals came from and how private investors got the shares in the first place, since there was no public bid.”

  4. La Redoute says:

    Malta’s power supply is in safe hands.

    http://www.financialtransparency.org/2013/12/10/mystery-figure-behind-azerbaijans-state-oil-company-revealed/

    A new report released today by Global Witness reveals a shadowy figure in the oil industry of Azerbaijan, a key EU energy supplier. A little-known businessman, Anar Aliyev, has gained ownership stakes, some highly profitable, in at least 48 deals with Socar, the state oil company of Azerbaijan, though it is not clear why he is involved and how his involvement is of benefit to the country.

    The research raises the concern that private individuals, including Anar Aliyev and others he may be fronting for, could be benefitting at the expense of the citizens of Azerbaijan. While Socar and its partners may well have acted within the law, the lack of transparency about how these companies came to be involved in the Azerbaijani oil industry raises serious questions over potential conflicts of interest and preferential treatment.

  5. Antoine Vella says:

    Our government is literally surrounded by lies. Even their foreign friends are liars (and despots).

  6. ciccio says:

    Transparency International seeks Malta chapter:

    http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Transparency-International-seeks-Malta-chapter-20140219

    They appointed Joseph Zammit for the task.

    A quick look at his Facebook friends shows that all his Maltese friends are predominantly Labour party people. Couldn’t find one who I could say ah, this is from the PN.

    Not a good sign for Amnesty and not a good start for Transparency International. Malta expects better from those international organisations which declare to be apolitical.

    Are they aware that Malta’s government is currently led by the Labour party and that they would need to appear, not only be, detached from it?

    https://www.facebook.com/joseph.zammit.395#!/joseph.zammit.395/friends?collection_token=1561740722%3A2356318349%3A2&next_cursor=MDpub3Rfc3RydWN0dXJlZDoxMjI3Mjc5MzQw

  7. Toni Borg says:

    Probabli gie jixtri xi passaport Malti.

  8. Makjavel says:

    So Malta is now allowing non EU persons coming into Malta and being given an e-ID instead of a passport , or possibly both.

    Does the EU commission know what is happening?
    This government has turned Malta into a pirate island.

  9. Nosferatu says:

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140219/local/malta-calling-for-dialogue-as-ukraine-situation-worsens.507475

    Is Malta’s official foreign policy that of dragging our feet in each and every case or as it relates to particular countries ?

  10. Felix says:

    xi passaport iehor.

  11. Harry Purdie says:

    It appears that little Joey’s ‘Intelligent/Secret Service’ does not appear to be all that intelligent.

  12. Towni says:

    That’s a Gulf Stream type of aircraft with an endurance of around 16 hrs flying time.

  13. Anthony says:

    This is the aircraft that is used regularly by the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev.

    He is internationally recognized as the undisputed world leader of corruption.

    Maybe he sent his executive jet to collect a load of Malta passports.

    He could have despatched it here to ferry the Maltese PM to the Bahamas to help with his philanthropic mission there. Or even possibly his brother, Bastjan, to a meeting in Fuorigrotta with the Zaza clan.

    Who knows? One thing is certain. It was not here to refuel.

  14. mignun says:

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JOtLUmB1HKE

    Issa? Ghadu kif hareg li mhux ta’ hsara l-power station.

  15. Angus Black says:

    We ought to get used to clandestine landings by foreign visitors who shall remain shrouded in secrecy.

    Must be one of Azerbaijan government officials making sure that the 18-year contract is still on the rails.

    Why this government continues to lie and refrain from giving details about (supposedly) a business deal is proof positive that it has lots to hide from the public.

  16. ken il malti says:

    Cossacks say, ” respect my authoritah” !

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivT-I-yxtdY

  17. john says:

    Judge Farrugia Sacco, poor thing, is claiming that he has suffered enough already as it is.

    Next he’ll be claiming compensation for his suffering.

  18. Botom says:

    Mintoff’s personal belongings are to be auctioned off by his daughters, who abandoned him during his life time, exploited him for their own gain after his death and now they want to do away with his personal belongings many of which were so dear to him.

    [Daphne – I wouldn’t get into that. He was by all accounts a perfectly dreadful father and he treated their mother so badly, keeping her in penury and forcing her to live off the kindness of friends, that his daughters’ behaviour is not just completely understandable but also fully justifiable. Dom Mintoff was a lousy father and a rotten husband. Anybody else in their position would have just piled his rubbish in a heap in the garden, chucked on a jerry-can of petrol and set fire to the lot. But blood will out, and they will make every cent they can from it, perversely honouring his memory by dishonouring it. In making money from his old rags and bones, they would be making him proud.]

    This action sale in his personal house in Tarxien is not only about easy money but also a clear message from his daughters that even after his death they want nothing to do with him so much so that they will selling his personal belongings to continue to erase his memory from their lives.

    [Daphne – Yes, and who can blame them.]

  19. Nosferatu says:

    The sisters are cashing in !

  20. vince arrigo says:

    We have become “Cloak and Dagger country”

  21. vic says:

    How many passports can it carry ?

  22. Nosferatu says:

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140220/local/malta-bendy-buses-sold-cheaply.507483

    Bought by “unidentified Maltese buyer” for export to Sudan at what is being said as half “as is, where is price”. Enough said.

  23. ciccio says:

    There is an article in The Malta Independent of today contrasting LNG and nuclear bomb explosions.

    http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-02-20/news/lng-tankers-and-atomic-bombs-incomparable-4008869890/

    Contrary to what Eddy Privitera says in a comment beneath the article, it does not contradict what an engineer and local councillor from Malta’s South said – it merely says that the two fuels burn differently. Among other things, the authors of the SIGTTO paper quoted in the article confirm that 135,000 cubic meters of LNG – which is the quantity of LNG that will be stored in Marsaxlokk Bay – are equivalent to close to 50 nuclear bombs in energy content.

    It has to be noted that the newspaper did not emphasize the vested interest of SIGTTO in protecting the LNG industry. For this reason, the SIGTTO paper is not convincing.

    I would like to understand, for instance, what could happen if the temperature maintenance mechanisms, which should keep the LNG gas in liquid state at -160 degrees, fail completely.

    Fukushima was not thought probable until it happened.

    So now back to the subject of Daphne’s post above. So far, the only indication of what natural gas (as opposed to LNG) flames are supposed to look like is, incidentally, represented here:

    http://expatedna.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Baku-at-night.jpg

    I’m not sure the flame colour and the intensity will be like that, though.

  24. Artemis says:

    Some one just dropping in to collect their new Maltese passport?

  25. Maltri says:

    That aircraft must have left Malta 30 pieces of silver lighter.

  26. Calculator says:

    One NET TV reporter shared this on Facebook:

    “Il-Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat, c-Chief of Staff Keith Schembri ‘tal-Kasco’, u s-Segretarju Parlamentari Edward Zammit Lewis jaslu Malta minn Milan.

    Ilbierah filghaxija, Joseph Muscat mar jara lill-Milan jilghabu kontra Atletico Madrid minflok ma attenda l-Kumitat dwar il-Ksur tal-Privileggi li fih, hu stess qed jghaddi guri lill-Kap tal-Oppozizzjoni Simon Busuttil.”

    Photos of the car with the number-plate GM 23 leaving the airport accompanied the text.

  27. Joe Fenech says:

    Very shocking. One must not forget this.

    http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2014/02/azerbaijan-bribes-two-italian-meps/#comment-1578860

    I haven’t heard of Mr Speaker being investigated for HIS positive comments about the Azeri elections.

  28. Gahan says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIDqwV2ZqKM

    He’s more a football supporter than a prime minister.

  29. MoBi says:

    “Hundreds of wealthy foreigners have applied for Maltese passports that give them the right to live in Britain – and even to claim benefits.”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2563695/Hundreds-foreign-millionaires-apply-Maltese-passports-right-live-Britain-claim-benefits.html

  30. Calculator says:

    http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-02-20/news/this-is-not-really-a-government-that-listens-astrid-vella-4016308224/

    Astrid Vella finally decided to wake up, and Labour is explicitly revealed to be anti-environment and pro-development, to the cheer of its supporters. What a sad spectacle.

  31. Nosferatu says:

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140221/local/dar.507714

    Is the sister-in-law of the President’s son still involved ?

  32. M. says:

    Oh, the irony!

    ““The first step is admitting there is a problem. If one studies the results of our performance it becomes clear that we are facing an education crisis. We cannot burry (sic) our heads in the sand,” he said, adding that he hoped the strategy would help address the issue.”

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140221/local/education-system-is-in-crisis-minister-admits.507730

  33. makjavel says:

    Maltese Pirates of the Mediterranean.

  34. Why is there this need to be deceitful?

  35. Malti ta Veru says:

    Perhaps another enquiry about passport sales..?

  36. md says:

    Where should I send a private message to you?

    [Daphne – [email protected]]

  37. Harry Purdie says:

    Sinister stuff everywhere. Should be a good year.

  38. Anonymous says:

    Check out the racist Malcolm Seychell’s Facebook comment about a black Italian politician. This wannabe Italian and his use of Italian are hilarious.

    https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.seychell.5/posts/10152233844624929?stream_ref=10

    And here he ‘likes’ a very racist comment from a friend of his:

    https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.seychell.5/posts/10152235960114929?stream_ref=10

    Here is another gem about Nigerians in Malta. His comment on Times of Malta was deleted:

    https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.seychell.5/posts/10152232232844929?stream_ref=10

    The man has such a closed view of the world; it’s astonishing.

  39. A. Charles says:

    Was Borat one of the passengers on this flight?

  40. John Smith says:

    Just read the report on the new IT system. You guys did not even get half of it all.

    a. What this Mark Sammut did is just a database basically. While it’s the core and serves as backbone since it contains actual patients’ data it is not useful on its own. In fact one still needs to know how this is going to integrate with all other services within the hospital. Normally this is done using set industry standards. Is it perhaps the case that Mark Sammut wants to take hold of this so that he becomes irreplaceable? Think about it. If he had the gall to tender for a pharmaceutical storage system while still acting as consultant what’s going to happen when all the other parts that are needed within the hospital operations themselves become necessary? Who is going to interface with something that is known only by Sammut?

    b. Who owns the source code to this system? If it is the health department then why has no call for more developers been requested? Is it because Mark Sammut is coding it all himself? If that’s the case then again the hospital is risking being locked in to one individual.

    c. What technology was used? I believe it’s Dataflex. That means the hospital is now paying a licence for each user. Who is selling these licences to the hospital? A complete waste of money for an internal system not to mention what happens if Dataflex is not around anymore?

    It’s a very proprietary “language” and that’s what makes it risky for such a mission-critical job because it’s not replaceable. An example: say C/C++ was used, then there is not just one compiler for it but hundreds. This means the code can be for the most part at least recompiled, if the system is constructed correctly separating business logic from the view which is the norm and an industry-accepted standard. This is so that should the UI become obsolete the business logic can be retained. Dataflex being proprietary, I do not see how that can be done.

    Is any tracking being done on version control? If so, who is doing this and how are changes and fixes being managed?

    d. Dataflex was designed for use by small to medium sized businesses. Has any stress-testing been done on this system with, say, 200 million records?

    More points:

    1. A lot of people are required not just for fun or favours, but to ensure no one person holds the key to any parts of the system no matter how insignificant.

    2. Every individual’s work is transparent and a lot of monitoring is dedicated to ensure reliability.

    3. A lot of work is expended in planning and design by individuals who are actually experienced in the business. How much RELEVANT experience does Mark Sammut actually have?

    4. The architecture is tested for redundancy, compatibility with other systems and internal ‘operability’ with other systems.

  41. C Falzon says:

    This lady might actually be right, even if not in the way she thinks – or doesn’t:

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140224/local/malta-is-not-an-independent-country-icelandic-mp-claims.508127

  42. ciccio says:

    Attention all planespotters.

    Report all Ukrainian private jets landing in Malta.

    “Ukraine issues arrest warrant for ousted President Viktor Yanukovych”

    http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/24/world/europe/ukraine-politics/

    One of his last international dealings was pictured below:

    http://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Press%20Releases/Press%20Photos/PublishingImages/2013/September/04/OPM_04092013_01.jpg

    His invitation to Malta was postponed, but never cancelled.

    http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-12-06/news/yanukovich-postpones-visit-to-malta-3398926336/

    Man, wouldn’t Yanukovich love to have one of those Eur 650,000 Maltese passports that would allow him the opportunity to settle somewhere in the EU – an opportunity which he wanted to deprive to the people of his country.

    • Grezz says:

      Ah well, he’d pass Henley and Something’s checks, with his clean criminal record. U jkollna Malti gdid ta’ talent, ukoll.

      • ciccio says:

        Perhaps Joseph Muscat could even appoint him President of the Republic instead of Marie Louise Coleiro.

  43. ciccio says:

    Tal-Michaels telqu qabel ma waslu.

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140224/local/mcgill-drops-plans-to-bid-for-malta-bus-service.508118

    “Labour is safe for business” – Joseph Muscat, prime minister of Malta.

    “Labour reduces bureaucracy by 25%” – Joseph Muscat, prime minister of Malta.

    “Joseph Muscat is a visionary prime minister” – Eric Major, CEO, Henley & Something.

    “Send in the Clowns” – The Economist.

  44. What has our poor island called Malta been subjected to. While we go about our everyday lives, mysterious plans are being drawn up while we are left in the dark – as long as Malta Taghna Lkoll. What a joke!

    • Tabatha White says:

      He really is very good.

      “Crime by striptease.”

      The focus with adding Manwel to the mix was going to be just that: Instant gratification with metered out backlash and total control.

      [Daphne – Better than you think. That ‘crime by striptease’ is clearly a reference to Chris Cardona’s extracurricular amusements.]

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