Exposing Ramin Isayev’s Whitewash PR Campaign Efforts

Throughout the 12-month investigation and subsequent ongoing trial into the multiple allegations of embezzlement and money laundering against Ramin Isayev, also known as Ramin Ali Hakan, the former SOCAR-AQS CEO appears to have hired a third party to white-wash his reputation.

These efforts consist mainly of rambling and poorly written articles published by lesser-known Azerbaijani outlets such as Gundem Xeber and Araz.az. The articles published by these networks in recent months generally appeared to have two main goals – firstly to discredit the allegations against Ramin Isayev by painting him as the innocent victim of a conspiracy, and secondly to garner support for Isayev through exaggerating his achievements in business and academia.

The articles began to appear regularly from the start of 2024, with an article published by Gundem Xeber and republished by Araz entitled “For what reasons is the former CEO in prison? – THE CLAIMS ARE NOT CONFIRMED”. The article made claims that it would continue to repeat over the following months, despite the contradictory evidence unearthed by the investigations, including allegations of slander and defamation and “falsified” charges against him.

Multiple articles continued to repeat these claims as the investigations continued and Ramin Isayev’s detention was extended ahead of his eventual trial, which began on 29th July. Particularly active in this attempt to polish Ramin Isayev’s reputation is head of “Araz Media Group”, Huseyn Azizoglu, who has actively shared these articles on social media, and put his name on articles full of praise for the defendant accused of stealing 54 million manats.

Isayev’s PR efforts were not just limited to written articles, as the Gundem Xeber TikTok shared his claims in several short videos. Meanwhile, more recently, a newly opened YouTube account under the name of “Tahir Ceferli” began to post videos and shorts exclusively about Ramin Isayev, including two videos recorded at the time of his arrest, in which he reads out a monologue protesting his innocence. The low number of views suggests that his PR efforts continue to fail.

Ramin Isayev also recently appears to have begun a campaign to promote his narrative in Turkish media, with an article published by Turkish website Samimihaber.com on 5th August. This effort continued Isayev’s conspiratorial tone, with an article in which allegations made against him were portrayed as being led by a ‘secret gang’ of ‘traitors’.

Additionally, as usual, the article exaggerates Isayev’s popularity and his achievements. The campaign in Turkish media is no surprise given his time living in Turkey under the name of Ramin Ali Hakan, after he allegedly fled Azerbaijan following the opening of investigations into his crimes.

One of his stranger, and more desperate communication attempts came in July, when Araz.az published an article referring to Azerbaijan’s hosting of the upcoming COP-29, while praising Ramin Isayev for his apparent academic research into climate change and sustainable development. The article consisted of a short introduction of Ramin Isayev, followed by an article on climate change that he reportedly wrote while studying in the USA. The intentions here are obvious – to use the publicity of the prestigious event to portray Ramin Isayev as an important figure.

However, it was always likely to fail. Despite any research Ramin Isayev may have undertaken during his time at university, it is hard to portray as an environmentalist a man who (when he wasn’t stealing) made a living from drilling for oil!