Azeri government committed to fighting corruption, official says

The head of the President's Office socio-political department Ali Hasanov was commenting on the Joint First and Second Round Evaluation Report issued on Wednesday by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption monitoring mechanism.

The report concluded that corruption is a major problem in Azerbaijan. It commended the authorities for their comprehensive anti-corruption strategy, but pointed out that the challenging task of implementing the strategy still lies ahead.

"The corruption index is estimated around the world every year. Sometimes we agree with the assessment and sometimes we don't," Hasanov said.

He admitted that just like in other countries, the corruption problem exists in Azerbaijan, but extensive work is underway to solve it. A program on fighting corruption has been adopted that the entities to be engaged in its implementation determined. An anti-corruption commission and a relevant department under the Prosecutor General's Office have been set up as well.

Hasanov added that Azerbaijan closely follows the ratings on corruption levels regularly issued by international watchdog Transparency International.

The Evaluation Report also said that several areas, such as the investigation of corruption offences and the organisation of public administration, require further efforts.

"The limited co-operation and co-ordination by the various agencies involved in investigating and prosecuting corruption offences and the lack of a pro-active approach in investigating these offences are major obstacles to an effective fight against corruption," it said.

GRECO has issued 27 recommendations to Azerbaijan. Measures taken by the government to implement them will be addressed by GRECO in the first half of 2008. AssA-Irada

/BakuTODAY/