Azernews.Az

BAKU – 32 people have been charged with corruption in Azerbaijan this year under 18 criminal cases, the country’s top prosecutor has said.

Zakir Garalov told a forum devoted to anti-corruption combat in Baku on Friday that 84 corruption-related cases are currently under investigation.

He said 3,700 calls have been made to the hotline launched in early March to receive relevant complaints. "237 of the appeals have been resolved with positive outcomes, seven people faced criminal charges and seven others have been detained."

Presidential Administration department head Fuad Alasgarov, who sits on the State Commission for Combating Corruption, said that just like developed countries, Azerbaijan has improved its tools of combating corrupt practices.

According to Alasgarov, the core of the corruption problem in the country has changed in the past ten years.

"The corruption today is linked to the factors fostered by Azerbaijan’s rampant economic development," he said.

Alasgarov said British experts estimate that the amount of bribes paid recently around the world exceeds $80 billion, but corruption levels vary in different countries.

"For instance, there is less corruption in economically underdeveloped countries," he added.

Bilge Cankorel, head of the OSCE Office in Baku, in his remarks at the forum, praised the recent measures undertaken by the Azerbaijani authorities in fighting corruption.

Cankorel underlined the importance of transparent governance, equal opportunities, and a competitive and participatory economy, as well as the need to further strengthen basic rule of law principles as a means of reducing corruption.

"Corruption is one of the main obstacles to prosperity and sustainable development worldwide. It is intolerable and must be fought at all levels of society. Corruption undermines the economy, weakens democratic institutions, deters investment and threatens the security of nations," he said.

According to Cankorel, the OSCE Office in Baku has implemented several projects in Azerbaijan promoting good governance and the protection of property rights as well as other capacity building activities for government officials and civil society representatives.

"My Office stands ready to provide further assistance and facilitate the sharing of international best practices to support the implementation of the National Strategy on Increasing Transparency and Combating Corruption, and its action plan," Cankorel said.

The forum was organized by the state anti-corruption commission, the Azerbaijani Confederation of Lawyers and the Information and Co-operation Network of NGOs fighting against corruption.