Azerbaijan, Baku, 26 June /corr. Trend E.Babayev / The Head of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, said that conditions will be created in the country to ensure transparency in using the mechanism of auction for managing lands being owned by the municipalities. "The appearing situation was a test for the heads of the municipalities. There is information on the chairs of the municipalities who expressed their wish to voluntarily leave their position after being depraved of the right to sell lands," the head of staff of the President's Executive Administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev, said during the 2nd Republic meeting of the heads of the municipalities in Heydar Aliyev Palace in Azerbaijan's city of Yevlakh on 25 June, Trend reports with reference to Azertaj.
During summer session of Azerbaijan Parliament last year, changes were made to the municipal legislation. Thus, the lands of the municipalities will be sold via auction. Last year 25 criminal cases and this year eight criminal cases were filed due to serious breakings in the activities of the municipalities. In December 2007 the Ministry of National Security detained former chairman of Rasulzade municipality, Mehdun Aliyev, for corruption. The chairman of Kusrengi municipality in Salyan district, Ikhtiyar Aydinov, was made criminally responsible for illegally selling land.
Mehdiyev said that thus, it will be possible to assist in certain shortages. "No municipality should forget that State provided land to them not for ravage. It was not presented to them as legacy," Mehdiyev said.
For instance, a head of the district executive power distributed 1,500h of land among his relatives, senior state and government officials and even law breakers. Another person continued such actions instead of ceasing such illegal actions. "Generally, the analysis shows that frequent violations noticed in the activities of the municipalities are linked with the violation of requirements of land legislation," the head of staff of the President's Executive Administration, said.
According to Mehdiyev, those who regard the municipalities as a source of private income should understand for all that illegal actions will be prevented in Azerbaijan further within the framework of the anti-corruption measures realized in Azerbaijan and the guilty will be made fully answerable. "While preparing for the upcoming elections it is necessary to make serious conclusions from the mistakes, offer such facilities that will enable to form the municipalities of well-educated, modern, high-minded persons, patriots, as well as to increase the number of women and youth in these establishments," he said.
Mehdiyev said that one of sensitive milestones in people's attitude towards municipalities is the appeals made to the central executive bodies, including the President's Executive Administration. In 2007 the Administration received 1,241 appeals related to municipalities, whilst over 5 months of 2008 - 452. The analysis shows that the reason for citizens' appeals to the President is mostly linked with indifference or biased attitude towards problem of their concern. Mehdiyev said that the draft law envisaging the issue of additional authority for municipalities is currently under consideration at the Parliament.