Azerbaijan detains two local officials on bribery charges
By Akbar Mammadov
A criminal case has been launched against two officials of the Absheron District Executive Authorities under bribery charges, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on June 23.
A court in Baku’s Binagadi district has sentenced the head of the Department of Architecture and Construction of the Absheron District Executive Authorities, Akif Aliyev to four months in jail on charge of bribery.
The court has also ruled that Murad Ahmedov, the chief of Khirdalan city Housing Production Operation repair department No.3 of Absheron district executive power Housing and Communal Services Union will remand in custody for three month on charge of incitement to bribery and other articles of the Criminal Code.
The criminal case against the two local officials was initiated after the investigation by the Anti-Corruption General Directorate under the Prosecutor General after it received appeals on illegal actions of officials of the Absheron district executive power.
Prosecutor General’s Office revealed that Akif Aliyev had promised a citizen patronage for the construction project without the necessary documentation and a formal application for a construction permit to the district executive power. He had demanded AZN 3,000 in bribe from the citizen through Murad Ahmedov, who received an additional AZN 1,500 in bribes from the same citizen.
Furthermore, using his close ties with Akif Aliyev, Murad Ahmedov deceived a citizen by falsely stating that he had the opportunity to change the technical conditions of a 96 sq / m non-residential area under the “AAAF Park” residential complex in Khirdalan city and prepare a sketch project, in exchange of AZN 2,500 as a bribe.
Ahmedov was detained on 20 June while taking bribes from the citizen in the amount of 1,000 manats.
The Prosecutor General’s Office noted that the mentioned illegal actions have been documented via audio-video recordings in accordance with the search operations carried out on the basis of the court decision.
“Necessary investigative measures are currently being taken to identify and prosecute other culprits in the criminal case, as well as employees of the district executive power involved in the violations,” the General Prosecutor’s office noted.
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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97
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