Political corruption |
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Forms and concepts |
Anti-corruption |
Corruption by country |
Corruption in Azerbaijan is considered high [1] and occurs at all levels of government. [2] [3] Corruption during the Soviet era was rife and persists into the present. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Azerbaijan's economy is characterized by corruption and inequality. [10] The country's oil wealth has significantly strengthened the stability of Ilham Aliyev's regime and enriched ruling elites in Azerbaijan. [11] [12] [13] [14] The country's oil wealth has enabled the state to host lavish international events, as well as engage in extensive lobbying efforts abroad. [15] [16]
In the Azerbaijani laundromat money-laundering scheme, $2.9 billion was paid to foreign politicians and Azerbaijani elites by companies linked to Azerbaijani ruler Ilham Aliyev, government ministries, and the International Bank of Azerbaijan between 2012 and 2014. [17]
Corruption is prevalent in education, health care and business more generally. [4] Bribery, nepotism and cronyism are commonplace. [4]
In Transparency International's 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Azerbaijan achieved its best position since its inclusion in the report in 2000, [18] with a score of 31 [19] on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). [20] In the years 2018-2023 its scores were lower, with a 2023 score of 23. [21]
According to Transparency International's 2015 report, Azerbaijan demonstrated improvement in international anti-corruption reports from previous years; however, its position in these indices was weak compared to that of neighbouring countries, such as Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey. [22] [18] This weakness continues into the present; in the 2023 CPI results, Azerbaijan's score of 23 showed that it is perceived to be more corrupt than its neighbors, Georgia (53), Armenia (47), Russia (26) and Iran (24). [21] Regionally, the average score for Eastern European and Central Asian countries [Note 1] was 35, the highest score was 53 and the lowest score was 18. [23] Globally, the average score was 43, the best score was 90 and the worst score was 11. [21]
The World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators reported that Azerbaijan's ability to control corruption increased to 20 (2015) from 7 (2000). [24]
The 2013 Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) report of Transparency International indicated that 9% of respondents in Azerbaijan thought that corruption had increased a lot. [25] While 69% considered that the government's efforts were effective in the fight against corruption. Furthermore, 71% of respondents agreed that an ordinary person can make a difference in the fight against corruption in Azerbaijan. [25] Citizens' participation and the values of integrity, accountability, and transparency were crucial components of fighting corruption. It was important to develop programs and actions to change the cultural understanding of corruption and helped citizens to act against abuses. [26]
In the 2013 GCB report, health, the judiciary, and police were perceived as the most corrupt sectors by respondents. In comparison to the 2010 GCB report, improvement was noted in the more recent report with increased levels of trust in the civil service, education, and police. [22] Contrary to international perceptions, Azerbaijani respondents perceived political parties as one of the least corrupt sectors alongside the media and religious bodies [22]
According to the Global Integrity Index (GIX) (2011), the anti-corruption legislative framework of Azerbaijan is strong (89 out of 100); however, its implementation is very weak (38 out of 100) considering the powers that have been granted by law. [27]
A 2014 report by Transparency International concluded that Azerbaijan was demonstrating steady improvement in anti-corruption rankings, but its progress was relatively slower than that of neighbouring countries. Furthermore, Azerbaijan had advanced with its anti-corruption legislation and strong executive branch; however, the legislature and the judiciary were perceived as weak and potentially more exposed to corruption. [22]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, the transition period in Azerbaijan was complicated and further prolonged by the inability of the national political elite to ensure the existence of key public institutions during 1991–1993. [28] In addition, during those years, Azerbaijan was forced to engage in military clashes with Armenia over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. [29] In 1993, as a result of the invasion by Armenia, Azerbaijan lost 20% of its territory. In the same year, the United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) which condemned the use of force against Azerbaijan and the occupation of its territories. [30] The UN Security Council demanded from Armenia the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces. [30]
As a result of the war with Armenia, the influx of more than one million refugees and internally displaced people had a devastating impact on both the social and economic situation in Azerbaijan (Badalov and Mehdi, 2004). This tragic event shifted the priority of the country from building public institutions to accommodating internally displaced people (IDPs) and providing them with the necessary living standards. [28] In addition, the collapse of the Soviet Union caused economic paralysis in Azerbaijan. Therefore, the main priorities of the Azerbaijani government were to divert all of its financial and political resources to safeguarding IDPs and to fighting against the invasion by Armenia in the international legal arena. [28]
Commission on Combating Corruption is set up according to the article 4.2 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on "Fight Against Corruption" and functions as a specialized agency on combating corruption since 2005. The Executive secretaries of CCC were Inam Karimov, Vusal Huseynov and Kamal Jafarov.
The Anti-Corruption (bribery) General Directorate with the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan No.114 dated March 3, 2004. Directorate General is a body specialized in the field of preliminary investigation conducted on the corruption crimes, and is subordinated to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
To eliminate corruption in public service delivery, a new preventive institution, namely the Azerbaijan service assessment network (ASAN) (asan means “easy” in the Azerbaijani) was established by Presidential Decree in 2012. [31] Currently, this institution provides 34 services for 10 state bodies. It was the first one-stop-shop service delivery model in the world to provide the services of various state bodies rather than only the services of one state body. [31]
No conflict of interest exists between ASAN service employees and Azerbaijani citizens as ASAN service employees do not provide any kind of service themselves. All services are provided by the employees of the 10 state bodies under one roof, based on the standards of the ASAN service. Employees of the ASAN service monitor the work of the state bodies, check for compliance with ethics rules and manage the queue system. [31]
Monitoring report by OECD has praised Azerbaijan "for advancing Azerbaijani Service and Assessment Network (ASAN) centers, which has contributed to eliminating the conditions that are conducive to corruption when delivering various administrative services to the public". [32] Azerbaijan 2016 report by EEAS acknowledged ASAN services have been a great help in the elimination of corruption and bribery, as well as removing bureaucracy in public service delivery. [33]
A similar institution is planned to be established in Afghanistan as well. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Afghanistan on July 12, 2016. The aim of the Memorandum is to establish a public service delivery mechanism in Afghanistan based on Azerbaijani model “ASAN service”. [34]
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index that ranks countries "by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." The CPI generally defines corruption as an "abuse of entrusted power for private gain". The index is published annually by the non-governmental organisation Transparency International since 1995.
Corruption in Armenia has decreased significantly in modern times, but remains an ongoing problem in the country. Despite this, fighting corruption following the 2018 Armenian revolution has recorded significant progress. Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe's Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) and the OECD's Anti-Corruption Network and Armenia's anti-corruption measures are regularly evaluated within their monitoring mechanisms.
Ilham Heydar oghlu Aliyev is an Azerbaijani politician who is the fourth and current president of Azerbaijan. The son and second child of former Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev, Aliyev became the country's president on 31 October 2003, after a two-month term as prime minister of Azerbaijan, through a presidential election defined by irregularities shortly before his father's death. He was reelected for a second term in 2008 and was allowed to run in elections indefinitely in 2013 and 2018 due to the 2009 constitutional referendum, which removed term limits for presidents. Throughout his electoral campaign, Aliyev was a member of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, which he has headed since 2005.
Corruption is perceived as a significant problem in Russia, impacting various aspects of life, including the economy, business, public administration, law enforcement, healthcare, and education. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly established in the historical model of public governance, and attributed to general weakness of rule of law in the country. Transparency International stated in 2022, "Corruption is endemic in Russia" and assigned it the lowest score of any European country in their Corruption Perceptions Index for 2021. It has, under the regime of Vladimir Putin, been variously characterized as a kleptocracy, an oligarchy, and a plutocracy; owing to its crony capitalism economic system.
The Philippines suffers from widespread corruption, which developed during the Spanish colonial period. According to GAN Integrity's Philippines Corruption Report updated May 2020, the Philippines suffers from many incidents of corruption and crime in many aspects of civic life and in various sectors. Such corruption risks are rampant throughout the state's judicial system, police service, public services, land administration, and natural resources.
Corruption is an issue in Ukrainian society going back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After declaring independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine faced a series of politicians from different sides of the political spectrum, as well as criminal bosses and oligarchs, who used the corruption of police, political parties, and industry to gain power. Despite improvements, as in Moldova corruption remains an obstacle to joining the EU.
Corruption in Albania is a very serious problem. According to Global Corruption Barometer 2013, 66% of respondents indicated that level of corruption has increased in Albania.
Corruption can take many forms, and can distort how public policy is made or implemented. This article discusses the responsibilities of the various agencies involved in combating corruption in Australia. Australia became a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption in 2005. While Australia is a wealthy democracy, over the decade since 2012, Australia's ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International has slipped from 7th place in 2012 to 14th in 2023, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. Additionally, there is a public perception that corruption in Australia is increasing. All states have broad-based anti-corruption agencies, and a national anti-corruption commission has been operational since July 2023.
Corruption in Lithuania describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Lithuania.
Corruption in Sweden has been defined as "the abuse of power" by Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). By receiving bribes, bribe takers abuse their position of power, which is consistent with how the National Anti-Corruption Unit of the Swedish Prosecution Authority specifies the term. Although bribes and improper rewards are central in the definition of corruption in Sweden, corruption in the sense of "abuse of power" can also manifest itself in other crimes such as misuse of office, embezzlement, fraud and breach of trust against a principal.
According to Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2013, corruption is a large concern in the public sector as more than half of the surveyed households consider Parliament, police, public officials, and particularly the judiciary and political parties very corrupt.
Corruption in Latvia is examined on this page.
Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index scored Germany at 79 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, Germany ranked 9th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison, the best score was 90, the worst score was 12, and the average score was 43.
In recent years, Montenegro has increased its efforts to implement preventive and legislative measures needed to curb corruption. For example, anti-bribery provisions in the Criminal Code, as well as laws on money laundering, conflict of interest, access to information, and political funding have all been strengthened, while awareness-raising activities and training of public officials in integrity standards have been intensified.
Corruption in Slovenia is examined on this page.
Corruption in Slovakia is a serious and ongoing problem.
The government in Moldova has in recent years taken several steps to fight corruption, including law enforcement and institutional setups. The prosecution of officials who are involved in corruption has also increased in recent years. However, businesses consider corruption a serious problem for doing business, and the business environment continues to be one of the most challenging in the region.
Corruption levels are perceived to be high by surveyed residents of Serbia, and public trust in key institutions remains low.
Croatia has severe problems with corruption, and among European Union member states, it is one of the top 5 most corrupt countries.
Corruption in Tajikistan is a widespread phenomenon that is found in all spheres of Tajik society. The situation is essentially similar to that in the other former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Reliable specifics about corruption can be difficult to come by, however, as can hard information about the effectiveness of supposed anti-corruption initiatives.
Azerbaijan's corruption is perhaps the worst in the entire former Soviet Union.
Azerbaijan is among the most corrupt countries in the world. The Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) report on Azerbaijan, released in April 2015, stated, "Despite some serious efforts were undertaken since 2011 to tackle low-level public sector corruption there is little evidence of it being pursued with determination among the political elite and the upper echelons of the public service." In Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, Azerbaijan ranked 119 out of 168 countries.