KBR

At the beginning of 2024, KBR is one of the Pentagon's largest contractors in the field of space research, military neural networks, space biotechnology, and the use of AI for military purposes.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, 601 Jefferson Street, TX 77002, USA.

Business in Russia

• KBR East (East CBD)
• Kellogg Brown and Ruth International (KBR)

Business in Azerbaijan

1999: Hiring Unaoil and Reza Raina to advance the company's interests

According to the leaked files of one of the largest clients of Unaoil, the American engineering giant KBR, Reza Rain had direct access to the top leadership of Azerbaijan.

Unaoil mainly operates in oil-rich regions. And there was no other intermediary in the oil game like Reza Rain. He was one of the most prominent members of the New York socialite, with secular magazines calling him one of the city's best-dressed men. For several years he was married to the New York socialite Marjorie Gubelmann.

But Reza's best contacts were abroad, where he worked as an intermediary in Azerbaijan's oil industry at Unaoil.

The decision to appoint Unaoil and Rain as mediator in Azerbaijan was made by KBR management in 1999. In a memo to KBR, it was noted that Rain was very close to the President of Azerbaijan and his family, and had access to any offices.

If in 1999 the contacts of the company's lobbyist Reza Rain with the President of Azerbaijan and his people did not cause KBR alarm, then by 2007, when the company again checked Rain's connections and his work, there was reason for concern.

For KBR, the stakes were high: if Rain was involved in obtaining information or services illegally from his Azerbaijani contacts, KBR could be accused of violating American corruption laws. After all, the company officially paid for his services.

A 2007 memo from KBR stated: - 'The Managing Director of Unaoil Group [in Azerbaijan] Mohammad Reza Rain appears to have connections with some senior Azerbaijani government officials and decision makers, as evidenced by his ability to organize meetings for KBR with various Azerbaijani officials. However, there has been no indication or suggestion that Rain has undue influence over these officials. Rather, these contacts are the result of family and business ties that have developed over time without the use of illegal relationships. '

However, documents from Unaoil's internal leak cast doubt on that assessment.

It follows that Rain obtained confidential government information from a man whose identity Rain and Unaoil appeared to want to keep secret. In their emails, they gave him the code name V1.

From the emails Unaoil made available to journalists , it becomes clear that V1 held a position in the state oil company of Azerbaijan SOCAR. They reveal Rain's confidence that V1 will provide them with important information when they travel outside Azerbaijan, and say that Unaoil is hatching a plan to convince him to disclose the details of the Caspian gas field development project in the interests of its customers' before it is too late '.

'I eventually spoke to V1, who said he would only have information for us when he went to London, 'Rain wrote in a 2002 email to Unaoil executives.

Later that year, an executive at Unaoil sent an email saying that Rain had promised to personally push V1 'as hard as possible' to get 'numbers' on the gas field project.

Although the main client of Unaoil in Azerbaijan at that time, KBR, was unable to receive a contract for the construction of offshore drilling platforms worth $90 million, it has already won contracts for the construction of pipelines related to this project. Another Unaoil customer, Swiss technology company ABB, has been awarded a contract to supply control and safety systems for offshore gas platforms.

V1 organized the necessary acquaintances for Unaoil. Rain met with Azerbaijani businessman Nizami Piriev in 2006 to discuss a methanol plant, for the construction of which Piriev received a license from the Azerbaijani government.

Rain told Unaoil she could take part in the project. And he offered to attract one of Unaoil's major international customers to help build the plant. Rain was confident that the project would go ahead as he was supported by an 'important person'. Perhaps here we are talking about President Ilham Aliyev.

So who was V1? His identity remained under wraps for years until it was revealed by Unaoil's careless top executive Peter Willimont in a 2006 email addressing the then events on Azerbaijan's political scene.

'V1 still works for Socar [Azerbaijan Oil Company], but as you know, he was elected (if you can call it that) to parliament and became deputy speaker in charge of the environment, 'the letter read.

Thus, V1 became known as Valekh Aleskerov, Vice Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament and Chairman of the Committee on Ecology and Natural Resources. At the national oil company, Aleskerov was responsible for conducting Azerbaijan's affairs with foreign investors. Rain and Aleskerov continued to meet on Unaoil projects until at least 2011.

Two other Azerbaijani government officials also explicitly leaked secret information to Raina in the interests of Unaoil customers, including KBR and Rolls-Royce. They too were given the codenames V2 and V3.

Who they are is not entirely clear, but it can be determined from numerous emails that both were senior officials at SOCAR, most likely vice presidents who regularly assisted Unaoil.

Once again, Unaoil's Willimont was most outspoken: - 'The other talks I've been in have been less important than the fact that the V3 seems to be sidelined by the V2, which is back in the cage. V3 doesn't seem to be able to provide any help at all since V2 returned to Socar!!!!!!! '.

History

1998: Creation of the company by merging M.W. Kellogg with Brown & Root Engineering and Construction

The company was created in 1998 by the merger of M.W. Kellogg with Brown & Root Engineering and Construction.