“Anti-corruption reforms in Azerbaijan: forward view”
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19 Nov 2009 15:49 ]
Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. Anti-Corruption Commission and Council of Europe held a conference “Anti-corruption reforms in Azerbaijan: forward view”. According to APA, member of the commission, MP Bakhtiyar Aliyev said anti-corruption measures were useful and Transparency International reports showed that Azerbaijan raised its rating. “It means that struggle with corruption is useful”. He said Azerbaijan joined several international conventions in this field and made amendments to the national legislation in accordance with demands of those documents. “The commission was closely working with the non-governmental organizations, experts, international organizations, international experts and public community to elaborate anti-corruption strategy. According to the opinion polls conducted by NGOs, 77.5 percent of population support anti-corruption measures taken by the Presidential Administration. But opinion of the population about other government agencies is not so much positive”. Bakhtiyar Aliyev focused attention on increase of media’s role in anti-corruption struggle. He condemned attempts to turn corruption rate to the mechanism of political pressure.
Special Representative of the Council of Europe Secretary General in Azerbaijan Veronika Kotek said struggling corruption was one of the Council of Europe priorities and it should be a priority of 47 member countries as well. The diplomat said anti-corruption strategy in Azerbaijan passed into the second phase and successful project is carried out with the support of Council of Europe and U.S.
Chief of the Anti-Corruption Office under the Republican Prosecutor’s Office Kamran Aliyev said Azerbaijan received 27 recommendations on anti-corruption struggle within GRECO (anti-corruption report of a group of CoE member countries). The report issued in 2007 said that 10 of those recommendations were fulfilled fully, 14 – partially and three were not fulfilled. Kamran Aliyev said one of the non-fulfilled recommendations was already fulfilled. “This is a law about struggle with funding of terrorism and money laundering”. According to the official, one of the recommendations was about the criminal investigation against legal entities. Aliyev said this issue needed in consultations.