BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 30. Threatening,
subjecting to pressure, causing material or moral damage, insulting
and humiliating the honor or dignity of a person who provides
information on corruption-related offenses or their close relatives
are prohibited in Azerbaijan.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed
relevant amendments to the law "On combating corruption".
Thus, it's prohibited to impose a penalty, terminate an
employment contract, dismiss, transfer to another job, make illegal
deductions from wages, actively or passively obstruct promotion or
encouragement, characterize them negatively, and other such
measures in order to directly or indirectly retaliate against an
employee who provides information on corruption-related offenses
for providing such information.
If a person who provides information on corruption-related
offenses presents evidence of the application of any measures in
order to retaliate against him, it will be the employer's
responsibility to refute such evidence.
The head of the body must also ensure compliance with these
requirements within the relevant body, and violation of the
requirements of this article will entail liability.
A person who claims to have been subjected to actions prohibited
by law may apply to the relevant superior and the court for the
restoration of their violated rights.
According to the new article added to the law, heads of bodies
must determine the mechanism for providing information on
corruption-related offenses within the department.
At the same time, heads of bodies must organize familiarization
of employees and other persons performing work or providing
services with the subjects authorized to receive information on
corruption-related offenses, the rules for applying to these
subjects and specialized bodies in the field of combating
corruption, the result of consideration of the application, and the
rights of persons providing information on corruption-related
offenses.
Besides, the heads of the bodies will determine the authorized
structural unit for receiving and investigating information on
corruption-related offenses, taking into account the structure of
that body, the number of employees, areas of activity, and the
volume of work.
In addition, according to the amendment, employees working in
the bodies may provide information on corruption-related offenses
to the authorized structural unit. The authorized structural unit
must have the necessary independence to exclude illegal
interference in its activities in order to effectively perform its
functions. The authorized structural unit mustn't directly or
indirectly participate in the application of incentive and
disciplinary measures against employees, human resources
management, and employee evaluation (attestation).
The authorized structural unit must act in accordance with the
requirements of accountability and impartiality before the heads of
the bodies.
