Baku, August 16, 2025 – Recent social media claims suggesting that Azerbaijanis could receive cash compensation for expired privatization vouchers have been dismissed as unfounded.
The State Service on Property Issues (ƏMDX) issued a formal statement stressing that the information circulating online has no legal basis. Officials clarified that the vouchers—once issued as part of the country’s privatization program—are no longer valid and cannot be converted into money or other assets.
According to the agency, all privatization vouchers were officially withdrawn from circulation on January 1, 2011, in line with a presidential decree dated December 23, 2009. As a result, the securities lost their legal and financial value, meaning citizens cannot claim rights or income from them.
“The reports about compensation or renewed use of privatization vouchers are misleading. We urge citizens not to believe such rumors,” the agency emphasized.
The clarification comes amid recurring speculation that the state might reopen the voucher program, which had played a central role in the mass privatization of the 1990s. Authorities, however, insist that the chapter was closed more than a decade ago.
