Fight against corruption yields no positive results

Baku/19.08.21/Turan: On August 17, former Deputy Minister of Culture, Rafik Bayramov was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment. He was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement of state budget funds.

It should be acknowledged that the fight against corruption is often declared in Azerbaijan. In one of his speeches President Ilham Aliyev said that the fight against corruption and bribery in Azerbaijan is waged not in words, but in deeds. "There are cases of corruption and bribery in all countries. The main question is through the prism of what the state and the government approach these issues. Tolerance for these issues in Azerbaijan is at zero level, and I believe that the work we have done confirms this. Not only the heads of local executive bodies, but those of central executive bodies as well are brought to responsibility, and these issues are published."

It should be stressed that in the corruption rating of the international organization Transparency International published in 2021, Azerbaijan scored 30 points and the last year our country was ranked 129 among 180 countries. In 2019, Azerbaijan was ranked 126 in the rating.

Thus, today's results of Azerbaijan are even more negative. The country shares its place with Russia, Gabon, Malawi and Mali.

Is there a fight against corruption in Azerbaijan? Can arrests be considered effective in the fight against bribery and corruption? Why do the arrests continue, if they are taken into account? Why are they taken into no account?

Milli Majlis deputy Anar Mammadov told Turan news agency that Azerbaijan's experience in fighting corruption is systematic, comprehensive and innovative. "Relevant programs and legislative acts have been adopted in this direction, new strategic views and tasks in this area defined, the fight against corruption raised to a qualitatively new level." According to him, in order to further increase the transparency of the activities of state bodies, it is of particular importance to expand the use of public control mechanisms, take measures to ensure the effectiveness of the activities of public councils.

An emphasis has to be laid on the fact that officials who have committed serious offenses are brought to justice, as well as the public control mechanisms have been formed to step up activity of civil society institutions in this area, the deputy noted. "The periodic adoption of decisions on this track, as well as the adoption of sustainable steps in accordance with these instructions, give grounds to believe that the fight against corruption and bribery in our country will continue resolutely in the future."

In turn, economist Nazim Baydamirli noted that corruption and bribery have become the main philosophy of governance in Azerbaijan. "Nearly all those engaged in the public service, regardless of their position, uses public funds, in one form or another, for personal purposes."

According to the expert, there are different ways to attain this goal. "Those semi-skilled or seeking to protect their reputation, do it with the hands of other people. They enrich themselves through them, involving their relatives in various contracts, proxy companies in various public procurement. And some do it evidently because of their inability."

He noted that practically none of the officials live on a salary. "Bribery and corruption are measured by loyalty to persons holding higher positions. If they are loyal to their managers, they are less likely to be caught for corruption and bribery."

According to Baidamirli, most of the top officials in Azerbaijan hold positions not for professional abilities, knowledge but because of kinship, tribalism, regionalism or bribery. "They provide neither income declaration nor property declaration in line with the anti-corruption law." Various journalistic investigations have proved that officials can get rich and become oligarchs in a short time, because a legal responsibility for spending public funds exists only on paper."—0—