Advocacy and Legal Advice Center Presentation of 7-th Quarterly report

Anti-corruption hotlines: Baku 088 707 07 07 or/either (12) 497 68 15 Ganja 088 202 02 02 or/either (22) 59 05 92 Lenkoran 088 303 03 03 or/either (171) 5 17 25 Guba 088 404 04 04 or/either (169) 5 14 37 and 5 14 91 Sheki 088 505 05 05 or/either (177) 4 26 55 and 4 48 90

Advocacy and Legal Advice Center project’s objective: To provide citizens with the means to become actively involved in the fight against corruption in their societies

ALAC’s renders following activities to achieve project objectives: Provide the citizens with an effective instrument for combating corruption in their everyday lives;. Provide citizens encountered with cases of corruption in the public administration system with free legal advice; Ensure regular monitoring of the level of corruption in the country; To inform citizens of their civil rights in a simple and understandable format; Raise citizen’s awareness of their rights and possibilities to take actions against corruption; Opens a dialogue with the national institutions to support the establishment of appropriate mechanisms in order to systemize and organize fight against corruption; Monitor the work of responsible public institutions during processing of corruption cases

The ALACs implementation mechanisms Project has 3 main implementation pillars: Legal Advice Education and information Advocacy

ALAC pillars implemented by Transparency Azerbaijan: Legal Advice Education and information Advocacy Capacity Building: support is provided to state authorities to strengthen their capacity to process complaints Public outreach campaign through mobile trainings and seminars

Legal Advice Legal advice is the activity by which he/she is given help on how to use efficiently the legal procedures while filing a corruption related complaint

Information and education The anti-corruption education activity refers to the efforts through which the project team provides education and information to help citizens to act and react on corruption cases equipped with knowledge.

Advocacy Advocacy builds upon the results of both legal advice and education/information activities, in order to influence national policies, anti-corruption legislation and institutional practices towards a more efficient discouragement, prevention and punishment of acts of corruption.

Capacity Building of Public Institutions Project team supports public authorities in their efforts to establish and operate anti-corruption hotlines, working groups and etc.

Public outreach campaigns through mobile trainings and seminars Project team with the support of center’s volunteers runs anti-corruption mobile workshops for various targeted groups with a special focus on rural population and provides onsite free legal advice

Project target group Project provides free legal advice for victims and witness of corruption and acts towards prevention of corruption practices against citizens

Dynamics of complaints (project life)

Romania Macedonia B&H ALAC 1st year ALAC 1,283 251 3,519* 1420 Project statistics for 1st year of implementation Romania Macedonia B&H ALAC 1st year ALAC 01.01. 2007 Total Number of Contacts (by phone/mail/email/in person) 1,283 251 3,519* 1420 3142 First Refusal Rate (initial contacts not pursued) 690 (54%) 26 (10%) 1,782 (51%) 794 (44%) 1249 (39%) Cases Pursued/Referred (number of complaints investigated and referred by ALAC to relevant authority) 184 (14%) 93 (77%) 402 (22%)* 425 (30%) 682 (21%) Cases Completed (cases concluded, successfully or other-wise, in accordance with formal complaint resolution procedures) 20 (11%)** 11 (6%) 76 (19%) 210 (14%) 361 (11%)

ALAC success cases Prosecutor’s Office started a legal case against Jeyran-Batan municipality. A citizen complained that employees of the municipality of Jeyranbatan district illegally sell land plots for a bribe by means of falsifying official documents. ALAC persistence resulted in an inspection by the Department of Municipalities under Ministry of Justice. The Ministry’ audit revealed violations and materials have been sent to the Prosecutor’s Office. A legal case was raised and investigation by Absheron District Prosecutor’s is under way.

ALAC success cases Prosecutor’s Office started a legal case against Yasamal Judicial Executors. A citizen complained that Yasamal Judicial Executors abused their powers - assaulted her and threw her out of her apartment by application physical force two days before the ruling of the first instance court came into power. The citizen used the time slot to submit an appeal with the Court of Appeal, thus having suspended the initial court ruling. However, judicial executors prevent her from reinstating her rights for the apartment as of date of this report. According to the letter from Deputy Chief Prosecutor, the investigation is currently under way.