Corruption whistleblowers to receive rewards of up to 25 times minimum wage in Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, individuals who report corruption will receive rewards of up to 25 times the minimum wage, with such income exempt from personal income tax, as stipulated in a new draft law "On Encouragement and Protection of Persons Reporting Offenses Related to Corruption."

According to Report, the document was discussed at today's joint meeting of the Milli Majlis committees on defense, security and combating corruption, and on legal policy and state building.

Under the bill, once the information provided is confirmed, the whistleblower will receive a reward within 10 working days, paid from the organization's budget (for budget-funded organizations, from their operating expenses and extra-budgetary funds) based on a decision by the head of the organization.

The reward may not exceed 25 times the minimum wage. In determining the amount, consideration will be given to the nature of the corruption-related offense, the number of offenses, the significance of the information for detecting the offense, the amount of damage caused and the assets recovered.

The document also states that, in the event of a conviction or another final decision in a criminal case, the whistleblower will receive 5% of the funds obtained through special confiscation of property or money, payments to the state budget, or compensation for damage caused to the state, less applicable expenses.

In a criminal case, the decision to pay the whistleblower will be made during the pre-trial stage by the investigator with the consent of the prosecutor supervising the preliminary investigation, and during the trial stage by the court hearing the case.