BAKU, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan's parliament on Friday approved a draft law in the first reading that offers financial rewards to individuals who report corruption-related offenses, local media reported.
Under the draft law, whistleblowers whose information is confirmed would be eligible for a tax-exempt reward of up to 25 times the national minimum monthly wage. The reward would be paid within 10 working days and funded from the budget of the organization concerned.
In criminal cases resulting in a conviction or another final ruling, informants would also receive 5 percent of the funds recovered for the state, including through the special confiscation of assets and compensation for damage, after prescribed expenses are deducted.
The reward amount would depend on the nature of the offense, the number of cases involved, the value of the information in exposing the offense, the extent of the damage caused and the value of assets recovered.
In criminal proceedings, decisions on reward payments would be made by an investigator with the prosecutor's consent during the pretrial investigation stage, and by the court during trial.
The draft law also proposes amendments to the Tax Code to exempt such rewards from income tax. ■
