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CORRUPTION SURVEY PLACES BAKU AS 130TH
Baku's dynamic improvement is evident, but it's to early to celebrate
CBN, November 10, 2006
BAKU - Azerbaijan took 1 30th place among 163 countries in the 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranked by the global corporation against corruption Transparency International (TI). Azerbaijan was flanked by African countries such as Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in ranking list.
The CPI points to a strong correlation between corruption and poverty, with a concentration of impoverished states at the bottom of the ranking. According to the CPI methodology, the countries get score (CPI Score). CPI Score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts, and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt). Azerbaijan got 2.4 score, which resulted in the bottom of the list.
"Corruption traps millions in poverty," said Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle. "Despite a decade of progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and
regulations, today's results indicate that much remains to be done before we see meaningful improvements in the lives of the world's poorest citizens."
Rena Safaraliyeva, head of TI's local office, said Azerbaijan improved its position, in comparison with last year's result.
"Last year Azerbaijan placed 137th out of 159 countries. This year the CPI was prepared on the basis of different surveys conducted by independent international organizations such as Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Freedom House (FH), Merchant International Group (MIG), World Markets Research Centre (WMRC) and so on."
Safaraliyeva said Azerbaijan's dynamic improvement is evident.
"But there is nothing to celebrate. Arrest and imprisonment are not better ways to fight against corruption. It would better to implement reforms in the structures. In addition, the salaries of state employees should be increased. The most obvious example
of this is the change in the traffic police," Safaraliyeva said. This year the salary of traffic police was increased to $400-$500, which decreased corruption among police.
Safaraliyeva said reforms in the pension system are also a good example.
"Before money was being taken from pensions, now people get their pensions from banks and nobody takes money," Safaraliyeva said.
Accoding to Safaraliyeva, at present an institutional system to fight against corruption is being formed in the country.
"When this process finishes, it will also positively affect Azerbaijan's posi-
tion in the CPI list," Safaraliyeva said.
However, Fuad Alasgarov, the head of the President Administration's department on work with law enforcement agencies, said that the CPI list is subjective.
"Azerbaijan chose an evolutional way of development, changes in the country is stable. The data about Azerbaijan for the CPI was collected in 2004; since then many things have changed, especially in the fight against corruption," Alasgarov said.
The government official said that the country has anticorruption legislation and the slate commission on the fight against corruption. Also, the salaries of
state employees have been increased.
"We are implementing preventive actions, nearly 40 state employees have been sued, another 20 people are under investigation and 80 bureaucrats were fired," Alasgarov said.
The TI Corruption Perceptions Index, released annually since 1995, now ranks 163 countries by the perceived level of public sector corruption, based on expert opinion surveys. First place was taken by Finland. From the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Moldova has the best position - the 81st place. Armenia took 94th place. Haiti came in last place on the 2006 CPI list.
Corruption Perceptions Index 2006
AZERI BUDGET TRANSPARENCY LOW - STUDY
INDUSTRIAL TOWN TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN AZERBAIJAN NEXT YEAR
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December 2006,
Issue No. 44
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AZERBAIJANI ANSWER TO OIL GLUT: BATHE IN IT
International Herald Tribune, November 28, 2006
NAFTALAN, Azerbaijan: Outside this improbable spa in a remote part of the former Soviet Union, oil rigs bob on a hardscrabble plain of rocks, shrubs and rusting industrial equipment that could easily pass for a stretch of West Texas.
Inside, Ramil Mutukhov, a lanky 25- year-old, prepares to be pampered and preened, scrubbed and peeled in a bath of pure crude oil. He undresses, hangs his trousers and sweatshirt on a peg, pulls off socks and underwear and folds up a wad of brown paper towels. He will need those later.
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