DUSHANBE, November 30, 2009, Asia-Plus — In a report released at a parliament hearing at the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), Director of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption Fattoh Saidov revealed on November 27 that corruption has cost Tajikistan at some 55.9 million somoni over the first nine months of this year.
According to him, 49.4 percent of this amount has already been reimbursed.
Over the report period, the anticorruption agency has conducted 892 inspections and 742 criminal proceedings have been instituted following those inspections.
“Financial violations for a total amount of more than 5 million somoni have been revealed in subdivisions of the Ministry of Agriculture,” said Saidov, “Thus, expenditures on pesticides have been overstated 3-4 times. Besides, the ministry remitted 500,000 somoni to the bank account of one Iranian national two years ago for purchase of seedlings and these funds have disappeared without a trace.”
Financial violations revealed over the same nine-month period in subdivisions of the Ministry of Transport and Communications have been estimated at more than 4 million somoni, in subdivisions of the Ministry of Energy and Industries – 6.8 million somoni, in subdivisions of the Ministry of Land Reclamation an Water Resources – 2.5 million somoni, and in subdivisions of the Ministry of Labor – 2.3 million somoni.
Speaking on this subject, MP Safarali Gulov noted that according to his estimates, untargeted use and embezzlement of budgetary funds was increasing in the country from year to year. “According to official data, only 33.7 percent of funds embezzled from the country’s budget in 2008 has been reimbursed so far, and the untargeted use and the embezzlement of state funds are becoming a dangerous phenomenon,” MP said.
Answering MP’s question, the anticorruption agency director noted that some corrupt officials were currently hiding abroad.
He also recommended heads of state-run organizations to select personnel more thoroughly. “For example, a person who has three previous convictions had been working with one of financially responsible departments within the Ministry of Labor; having embezzled some one million somoni, he is currently hiding abroad,” Saidov stressed.
Summing up the results of the parliamentary hearing, the first deputy head of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, Safar Safarov, noted that the parliament could adopt harsh laws controlling use of state funds and preventing corruption. According to him, the Majlisi Namoyandagon will submit its recommendations on this subject for consideration to the government in the near future.
