Woman who spent US$21M at Harrods fights U.K. wealth order

LONDON -- A woman from Azerbaijan who spent 16 million pounds ($21 million) at luxury London department store Harrods over the course of a decade is the first target of a British power to seize money from people who can't explain the origins of their wealth.

A court has ordered Zamira Hajiyeva to explain where she got the money to buy an 11.5 million pound ($15 million) London home and a golf course outside the city.

Hajiyeva's husband, former International Bank of Azerbaijan chairman Jahangir Hajiyev, was jailed in 2016 for fraud and embezzlement.

The case marks Britain's first use of Unexplained Wealth Orders, introduced this year in a bid curb London's status as a haven for ill-gotten gains.

Hajiyeva denies wrongdoing. A court order granting her anonymity was lifted Wednesday.

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