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.
