Political expert and social democrat leader Zardusht Alizadeh commented that the struggle with corruption in Azerbaijan should have been initiated a long time ago. It is required by society, and for the integration of Azerbaijan into the world community. \"There are several powerful methods of struggle against corruption, namely decentralization, public control and transparency of accepted decisions, control over incomes and transparency of the budget as well. The most effective method for the struggle against corruption is democracy.” Mr. Alizadeh argued that struggle against corruption was hampered by the gradual suppression of democracy in Azerbaijan.
In the opinion of Member of Parliament Aydin Mirzazade, the fact that the initiative for the creation of the commission was the president’s indicates that the presidential administration is attentive to the struggle against corruption. Of course, members of the commission will receive a high salary in order to refrain from taking bribes. Mirzazade conceded that the commission will not reveal all cases of corruption. Therefore, he said, society and media should actively participate in this process.
Despite a series of reforms in the government, legislation, development of civil society and business, corruption still remains a serious problem for Azerbaijan. According to annual ratings prepared by leading international organizations, Azerbaijan remains among the countries with the highest level of corruption.
In a recent study, the Heritage Foundation characterized the banking system in Azerbaijan as weak, and the share of the private sector to be limited. The legal system does not provide essential protection of private property, while corruption is widespread among the judiciary and law enforcement. Corruption is the main method to solve tariff problems and disputes.
Rena Safaraliyeva, Transparency International’s representative in Azerbaijan, said the adoption of this act will not significantly help to curb corruption in the country. \"We have also taken part in the development of the program and have no specific complaints regarding its contents. However, we deplore the fact that only the three branches of power are represented in the newly created commission. NGOs and media representatives should also be represented in this commission, as well as representatives of business. With the present structure, the state will supervise itself without participation of society. Effective struggle with corruption requires transparency before anything else. And I don\'t see a mechanism providing for transparent work by this commission at present”.
According to Vasif Movsumov, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Struggle Against Corruption, the law is an insufficient base in the struggle against corruption. According to Movsumov, a reasons for widespread bribe-taking in the country is the lack of legal awareness in society. Therefore, one of the primary goals of the Foundation is legal education. “A strong economy and properly constructed system of social security is necessary to decrease corruption levels. But most importantly, we should be guided by the rule of law and public interest”, Movsumov declared.
Implementing the struggle against corruption requires the rule of law. Mosvumov argues that a law on the declaration of the incomes of government officials is direly needed. Meanwhile, institution-building is proceeding. President Ilham Aliyev recently established a department of internal investigation and safety at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Its main objective is to combat unscrupulous and corrupt policemen, and toughening of struggle against policemen acting beyond the law.
Book S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell,