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Corrupt officials caused damage amounting to $33 million
In the past year, corrupt officials have caused damage to the state budget of Tajikistan amounting to 347 million somoni (approximately 33 million dollars). This was reported on September 19 at the IX meeting of the Intergovernmental Council for Combating Corruption by the Director of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption of […]
In the past year, corrupt officials have caused damage to the state budget of Tajikistan amounting to 347 million somoni (approximately 33 million dollars).
This was reported on September 19 at the IX meeting of the Intergovernmental Council for Combating Corruption by the Director of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption of Tajikistan, Sulaymon Sultonzo.
According to Sultonzo, efforts by law enforcement agencies have restored more than 333 million somoni, or about 32 million dollars, to the state budget of the country.
Members of the Council from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, and Belarus, as well as the Deputy Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States, participated in the meeting of the Intergovernmental Council for Combating Corruption.
The Attorney General of Russia, Igor Krasnov, stated that the purpose of the council meetings is to implement effective measures to combat corruption in the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
However, experts believe that corruption is so entrenched in the CIS countries that combating it has become nearly impossible. They note that all high-ranking officials went through this process when appointed to their positions, meaning they paid a substantial amount to obtain their position. Thus, the most important figures in the country are interested in this, or as the saying goes, “the fish rots from the head.”
At the end of January this year, the international organization monitoring corruption, Transparency International, published the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2023. According to this data, Tajikistan has worsened its position, dropping four places. The country ranked 162nd out of 180 countries and scored only 20 points. In this ranking, Tajikistan is positioned among countries such as Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Sudan, and Myanmar, which also scored 20 points and ranked 162nd.