BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 29. Combating the laundering of funds derived from corruption, human trafficking, and drug trafficking is of paramount importance, and alongside the fight against these crimes, it is also necessary to combat the laundering of proceeds obtained in this manner, the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, Kamran Aliyev, said in a joint interview with Trend News Agency and REAL TV.
Responding to a question about the prompt elimination of circumstances that create conditions for corruption, the Prosecutor General described the establishment of ASAN service centers as an important preventive measure.
“Corruption crimes have always plagued humanity. In the modern world, both in Europe and in other regions of the globe, these crimes remain a serious problem for society and the state. I believe that our country’s political leadership is doing very successful work in this area.
I would like to specifically highlight the establishment of ASAN service centers as a preventive measure. This was an important preventive step. As a result of establishing these centers, the number of corruption crimes in our country has decreased significantly. Today, we continue to focus our efforts primarily on preventing such crimes,” the Prosecutor General stated.
Kamran Aliyev noted that, in addition to preventive measures, criminal prosecutions for corruption offenses must be carried out. According to him, the Main Directorate for Combating Corruption under the Prosecutor General is working toward this goal.
“We constantly strive to keep the public informed in this area. Every criminal prosecution can also be viewed as an educational and preventive measure. This is because an uncompromising approach to such cases is one of the most important preventive measures carried out by the prosecutor’s office and other law enforcement agencies,” he emphasized.
Assessing the fight against corruption and crimes related to human trafficking, the Prosecutor General noted that one aspect common to these crimes, as well as drug trafficking, is the generation of illicit income.
“One of the factors linking corruption, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other similar crimes is the generation of illicit income. The funds obtained as a result of these crimes are subsequently laundered and used,” Kamran Aliyev said.
According to him, government agencies are coordinating their efforts to combat human trafficking. The Prosecutor General also addressed the issue of the national program for 2026–2030 and the activities of the relevant department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in this area.
“Our country is waging a resolute fight against human trafficking. In this regard, there is a state program for 2026–2030. The relevant department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is also carrying out work, and government agencies are coordinating their efforts in this area. One of the main issues is combating both these crimes and the laundering of funds obtained as a result of their commission,” he said.
Aliyev emphasized that the fight must address both the crimes themselves and the laundering of proceeds derived from them:
“If we do not combat the crimes themselves and the laundering of proceeds derived from them effectively enough, we will not achieve results. At the same time, if we focus only on the laundering of illicit funds and ignore the crimes from which those funds were derived, the fight will still not be effective. We are striving to make our efforts effective in both areas.”
Joint interview with Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev, conducted by the Trend International news agency and Real TV, will be broadcast on September 30 at 9:00 p.m.
