Cooperation between prosecutor general's offices of Azerbaijan and Lithuania expands

Darius Vallis, Lithuania’s Chief Prosecutor, and Zimantas Patsevichius, Chief Director of the Special Investigations Department, paid an official visit to Azerbaijan. The guests were received by Zakir Garalov, Chief Prosecutor of Azerbaijan.

Garalov gave the guests detailed information about the work done in Azerbaijan, which is eager to establish democratic, legal system, carry out reforms in the judicial system, sophisticate the methods of chief prosecutor’s office’s work, create advanced normative legal provisions, launch new information technologies and implement new personnel policy on the basis of transparency and justice.

Garalov notified the guests that as a result of targeted actions against criminality in Azerbaijan, considerable tightening of control of the criminogenic situation by authorized state bodies, and decisive struggle against crimes, including high crimes, and the work on prevention of crimes by underage persons, Azerbaijan has achieved a positive result in the number of crimes per 100,000 people.

As noted at the meeting, the issues of struggle against corruption and bribery have become a priority since Ilham Aliyev came to power. Azerbaijan, after having joined Council of Europe’s Conventions "On Criminal Responsibility for Corruption" and "On Civil-Legal Responsibility for Corruption" and UN anti-corruption Conventions, has formed its legislation in conformity with the national legal provisions and international requirements. Apart from other legal acts, Azerbaijan passed the Laws "On Struggle with Corruption", "On Struggle against Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism", etc.

With the aim of specification of legal position of bodies responsible for the conduct of struggle with corruption, there were adopted "The State Program of Struggle with Corruption for 2004-2006", "The National Strategy over Increase of Transparency and Struggle with Corruption" and the associated Plan of Actions for 2007-2011. As particularly stressed, the establishment of the Corruption Combat Division, as part of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of the Azerbaijan Republic, has a great importance.

In the light of latest measures undertaken in the sphere of combating corruption, citizens who face corruption may call freely Corruption Combat Division’s hotline number 161, the Chief Prosecutor said.

Chief Prosecutor Zakir Garalov notified the guests that he is glad that the European Union welcomes the measures Azerbaijan undertakes in the sphere of fighting corruption and Azerbaijan’s readiness to exchange experience to make the measures more rational. The Project "Support to the Corruption Combat Division as part of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of the Azerbaijan Republic" has been implemented since 2009 under the EU support. This project is implemented by the Lithuania’s Special Investigations Department and envisions support to the National strategy of struggle with corruption and increase of transparency.

The guests thanked Garalov for the welcome and highly appreciated the reforms that produce a positive result in Azerbaijan’s judicial-legal system, including Prosecutor’s Office’s bodies.

Broad exchange of opinions on the occasion of prospects of bilateral cooperation of mutual interest was conducted at the sidelines of the meeting. At this meeting, the Corruption Combat Division of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan and the Special Investigations Department of the Republic of Lithuania signed a Memorandum.

After the signing procedure, the guests visited the Chief Prosecutor’s Office’s Museum of History.

On their visit, Lithuanian guests familiarized closely with the operation of the Corruption Combat Division.

Division Chief Kamran Aliyev informed the guests of the operation of him-led body.
The Lithuanian guests had arrived in Azerbaijan on an official visit on April 26 upon invitation of Zakir Garalov.

On April 27, the Lithuanian Prosecutor’s Office’s representatives visited the graves of the nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev, the prominent ophthalmologist, scientist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva, and the Valley of Martyrs.


/Trend/