Spending money is not a crime, lawyer for woman who blew £16m in Harrods tells court

A woman who spent £16 million during a series of shopping sprees in Harrods might have been exorbitant, but "spending money is not a crime", her lawyer has told a court.

Zamira Hajiyeva, is facing extradition to Azerbaijan, where she is accused of embezzling millions of pounds from the state owned bank, that her husband used to run.

Recent court documents revealed how the 55-year-old had led an extraordinarily lavish lifestyle, splashing out a fortune at the famous Knightsbridge department store over a decade.

But her barrister Hugo Keith QC said: "Spending money, however exorbitant, is not a criminal offence.

"Spending that sort of money in Harrods might be offensive but it's not a criminal offence in law."

Mrs Hajiyeva became the centre of the UK's first Unexplained Wealth Order last year amid accusations that she had used stolen money to fund her lavish lifestyle.

At an extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Helen Malcolm QC, representing the Azerbaijani government, said Mrs Hajiyeva had been a part of an organised crime group which had used 28 IBA credit card to embezzle £76 million.

Her husband, Jahangir Hajiyev, 57, was the chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) bank from 2001 until his resignation in 2015 and he was subsequently sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement.

The court heard how Mr Hajiyev earned a salary of around £55,000 a year when he was running the bank and there was no evidence of any legitimate source for the wealth his wife had subsequently enjoyed.

Mrs Hajiyeva is fighting the extradition application, claiming she is being persecuted for her political beliefs and will not get a fair trial.

Ms Malcolm said: "The case against her is embezzlement and fraud in a conspiracy with her husband.

"The conduct in this country amounts, in our submission, to either money laundering the proceeds of that fraud, or she is the beneficiary of the fraud, or she is complicit in the fraud - so conspiracy to defraud or conspiracy to steal."

But Mr Keith said the allegations case against Mrs Hajiyeva and the allegations of fraud were without merit.

"We say that the criminal case is malicious and abusive because it's been brought for ulterior and political motivations," he said.

Mr Keith said his client had no reason to believe that the credit cards she had been issued with were not issued in accordance with the regulations.

He said: "The credit cards were issued by the bank. There's nothing that shows in any shape or form that when they were given those credit cards they were not entitled to use them in any way.

"It says nothing about what she knew. Spending money, however exorbitant, is not a criminal offence.

"Spending that sort of money in Harrods might be offensive but it's not a criminal offence in law."

The extradition hearing continues.