Raising the salaries of judges will not solve the problem of corruption - experts

Baku/21.06.22/Turan: Amendments to the Law on Courts and Judges provide for the increase of the  salaries of  chairmen of courets and judges. According to the innovations, the Chairman of the Supreme Court is set a monthly official salary of 3,550 manats and an allowance for the same amount. Thus, the Chairman of the Supreme Court will receive 7,100 manats per month.

Other judges will be given the following salaries:

- Chairmen of the Supreme Court of Nakhchivan and Courts of Appeal in the amount of 90% of the salary of the Chairman of the Supreme Court

- chairmen of the Courts for Serious Crimes, Military Courts, Administrative Courts and Economic Courts - in the amount of 80% of the official salary of the Chairman of the Supreme Court

- chairmen of other courts in the amount of 70% of the official salary of the chairman of the Supreme Court.

- Deputy chairmen of all courts in the amount of 90% of the official salary of the chairperson of the respective court;

- chairmen of the collegiums of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Nakhchivan and the Courts of Appeal - in the amount of 85% of the salary of the chairman of the respective court.

- Judges of all courts are paid 80% of the salary of the corresponding chairman of the court.

On Tuesday, the bill was discussed in the parliamentary committee on legal policy and state building and recommended for consideration by the plenary session. Commenting on these amendments, experts note that raising the salaries of judges will not help eradicate corruption and arbitrary sentences.

Lawyer Fuad Agayev believes that the salaries of judges in Azerbaijan are regularly increased. However, this does not affect the reduction of corruption in the justice system.

Legal expert Intigam Aliyev also believes that the problem of corruption will not be eliminated. Raising the salaries of judges will not eliminate corruption because it is a systemic problem. It is fact that  the judiciary and the judges themselves depend on the executive branch. Therefore, institutional reforms are needed.

To ensure the independence of the judiciary, there must be a free parliament, strong media and effective public control, Intigam Aliyev said. -03B06-