Will the Karabakh Revival Fund be able to circumvent corruption?

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- Akram bey, President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the establishment of the Karabakh Revival Fund, a public legal entity. What do you think will be the activities of the fund? Was there a need to create such a fund?

- The decree identifies two main directions of the activity of the Karabakh Revival Fund:

1) providing financial support and attracting investments in the measures taken for the restoration and reconstruction of the liberated territories, as well as their transformation into a sustainable economy and a highly prosperous region;

2) implementation of necessary propaganda work in this field inside and outside the country, ensuring the development of the public-private partnership. In other words, this fund will attract money from private individuals for the restoration and reconstruction of the liberated areas. Given that the restoration and reconstruction of these areas will be one of the priorities of the state for at least the next 10 years, it means that these funds will be spent by the relevant government agencies. Of course, along with the funds allocated from the state budget.

In general, it will be commendable if civil society assists the state in such matters. Just who can guarantee that officials who plunder public funds will not plunder the money of this Fund too? After all, we are talking about the most corrupt activities (construction, road construction, etc.) in every country (even in the most developed countries). From this point of view, the work of the Fund can be successful only in one case: if not only the expenditure of the Fund but also the state budget in general is completely transparent. Each government agency (excluding defense and security) must place state budget expenditures on its website in real-time (online). Up to a penny! Only in this case, we can see where the funds of the Fund go, for example, how many times a road was destroyed and repaired, at what price a pen was bought, and so on. Currently, the majority of public procurement is the most corrupt areas. There are only a few government agencies that comply with the law in this area. Knowing this, of course, many people may not donate money to the Fund.

In general, I think that instead of creating such a Fund (but if it works, of course, it is better), it would be better to strengthen judicial and legal reforms (including personnel reforms: with the involvement of judges in the Constitutional Court from abroad), to ensure the submission of the declarations of income and expenditure by officials, to create a healthy investment environment, etc. In this case, private individuals would be able to engage in comfortable business in liberated areas. The best incentive is entrepreneurship. But there must be healthy competitive conditions for this. In this case, both the country and citizens will win.

- The decree says that funds of the Fund will be formed from donations of individuals and legal entities, grants, and other sources not prohibited by law. Why funds are formed on the basis of these sources? Does the state not have its own power?

- We are talking only about the Fund's resources. This does not mean that the state budget does not provide funds for these activities. But the financial opportunities of the state are not endless. We live in a time of global crisis. In addition, we are an oil-dependent country. The coming years will be difficult. The more money allocated for the restoration of our territories, the faster the process. Just as I said while answering the first question, the more funds at the disposal of our presuming officials, the greater their appetites. Therefore, I doubt the effectiveness of civil society assistance to the state. Instead, normal conditions should be created so that we confidently do business in those areas. Then it will be possible to attract investment even from abroad. A special economic zone can also be established in these areas. We also have a relevant law. It was adopted in 2009 but still does not work.

- That is, the YASHAT Foundation, now the Karabakh Revival Fund. At the same time, several funds have been set up to address issues arising from the effects of the war. It seems that the state is trying to take a back seat in this matter and to solve these issues more at the expense of citizens. What is this about? Does the state call people to responsibility and obligation in this matter, or are there other reasons? Should these problems be resolved by some fund, or should the state assume all duties and responsibilities?

-The nature and goals of the YASHAT Foundation are different. Its goal is to assist specific people (disabled war veterans, families of the martyrs). Of course, the state will pay them the appropriate benefits. But their expenses may be higher. For example, the YASHAT Foundation will be able to cover their education expenses. If the work of this Foundation is transparent, it will be very effective. Because its funds will not be met from the state budget as the Karabakh Revival Fund. The direction of expenditures is also targeted at specific people. It is also a charity. There are no entrepreneurial incentives.

There was a real need for this fund. Of course, individually, everyone is now helping those people. But it is better to have organized assistance. Because there may be cases of fraud during private initiatives.

In any case, we should not assess the establishment of both Funds as the state evaded responsibility. The state will already incur costs in both directions. It simply organizes community support initiatives. But as I said, the YASHAT Foundation will be more efficient.

- Is it possible that certain interest will be deducted from the salaries of people, who receive salaries from the state budget, for these funds in the future? Because there are such rumors. How logical is that?

-In any case, no one should be forced. It can be voluntary. Of course, it's not a good thing if everyone pays a certain interest of their salaries. So, it means that they force. This is not only illegal but also morally undesirable. It will be stirring haraam into halal. But the official salary of our officials is not so high already. It is impossible to maintain the Fund with this. In general, it is better not to make wholesale payments to these funds. Let it be individual. Everyone should receive their full salary, then go and transfer any amount they want to the Fund. The process should not take the form of a campaign within the organization. Maybe someone is in great need, maybe he is not able to pay anything to the Fund, but he will have to pay as part of the campaign; otherwise, he will be ashamed.

By the way, today 2 percent of the salaries of all officials are paid to the Trade Union Confederation. Even from student scholarships. This Confederation is not only inefficient but also non-transparent. Only God and Sattar Mohbaliyev know where that money goes every year. That money can be given entirely to the YASHAT Foundation. All the property of the confederation too. Let our war veterans and families of our martyrs rest in its facilities.

- What do you think should be done to restore and reconstruct the liberated territories, to transform them into a region with a sustainable economy and high prosperity, as well as to attract investment, and ensure the development of public-private partnership?

- While answering the first question, I partially touched on it. We must be a country, which has good laws and where laws work. We must be a country where officials and the state budget are transparent. We must be a country where the judiciary and law enforcement are literate and honest. For this, first of all, the composition of the Constitutional Court for the next 10 years should consist entirely of German lawyers. Not only because we have few educated lawyers. Mainly because the German judge will not be called and instructed. If this topic is interesting, we can talk in more detail in the future. Because it is a very big issue.