The Main Anti-Corruption Department under the Prosecutor General conducted an operation in the Garadagh District Executive Authority.
According to information from the Press Service of the Prosecutor General's Office, officials accused of formalizing land ownership rights in exchange for bribes have been arrested.
Deputy Head of the Executive Authority Nadir Muradov, Chief Advisor of the District Economy Department Gafar Abdullayev, employees of the Executive Authority Rashad Nadirli, Isa Shamsaliyev, and Deputy Head of the Department for Management and Efficient Use of State Property of the State Service for Property Issues under the Ministry of Economy Zulfugar Mansurov have been brought to criminal responsibility.
Based on the preliminary evidence collected, Nadir Muradov, Gafar Abdullayev, Rashad Nadirli, Isa Shamsaliyev, and Zulfugar Mansurov have been charged, respectively, under Articles 311.3.1, 311.3.2, and 311.3.3 of the Criminal Code (repeatedly taking large-scale bribes as a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy).
Arrest has been chosen as a pre-trial detention measure for Nadir Muradov, Gafar Abdullayev, and Zulfugar Mansurov, while police supervision has been chosen as a pre-trial detention measure for Isa Shamsaliyev and Rashad Nadirli.
The investigation is currently ongoing, it is reported that officials are being interrogated, and new arrests in the coming days are not ruled out.
It should be noted that the Executive Authority where the Main Anti-Corruption Department conducted the operation has been led by Suleyman Mikayilov for many years.
While the Deputy Head of the Executive Authority, as well as employees of relevant departments, have been detained, Suleyman Mikayilov's remaining outside of this process has raised questions for discussion.
In a statement to Modern.az, Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Milli Majlis Arzukhan Alizade stated that even if he was not involved in the criminal act, the head of the executive authority should be dismissed from his post due to moral responsibility:
"If his deputy has committed illegal acts and has been arrested on very serious charges, then, naturally, the head of the executive authority also bears responsibility here. If the investigative p determines that the head of the executive authority had complicity or at least knowledge of the criminal act, then he will also be brought to responsibility. It is also possible that the deputy acted independently of the head, committed an illegal act, took a bribe, or committed any criminal act, and the head was unaware. However, the head's lack of knowledge does not absolve him of responsibility. At the very least, there is an incompatibility with the position he holds. Naturally, he should be removed from his post. Because the leadership of that institution was entrusted to him. If illegal, criminal acts occur within the collective he leads, the head of the executive authority bears at least moral responsibility. Due to this responsibility and his unsuitability for the position he holds, he should also be removed from his post".
The deputy emphasized that officials entrusted with duties must perform their work conscientiously:
"The President has always called for these individuals to be servants of the people. Their position does not grant them special privileges. If they work directly with people and the district leadership has been entrusted to them, they must understand this responsibility. They must perform the duties entrusted to them with dignity and conscience. Unfortunately, there are negative occurrences in this area. This is already the nth head of an Executive Authority to be brought to criminal responsibility. In total, 10 heads of executive authorities have been brought to responsibility so far. On the one hand, this indicates that serious measures are being taken against individuals who have committed criminal acts in state structures, and this is, of course, commendable. Everyone must bear responsibility for their actions, and if they have committed a criminal act, they must be brought to responsibility. At the same time, others must draw conclusions from this: under no circumstances should one fail to perform the duties undertaken in the required manner. If the district leadership has been entrusted to you, you bear responsibility for all negative issues that occur here, and you must strive to at least justify the trust of those who appointed you to the position."
