14:10

Salim Muslimov was brought to criminal justice

The State Security Service has investigated the facts of numerous abuses by Muslimov Salim during his tenure as Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the spheres of rehabilitation and social protection of the disabled and children with disabilities, the implementation of the state control over activities of employers in the fields of labour, employment and social protection issues.

On the basis of the collected materials, it was established that Salim Muslimov deliberately abused his official powers for personal gain in order to obtain illegal privileges. Moreover, substantial suspicions were established that he demanded a part of the funds allocated to individuals and legal entities engaged in the construction and repair of individual housing and boarding houses for the disabled in different regions, using his subordinates as intermediaries.

There were also reports that Muslimov had repeatedly received large-scale bribes at different times for the results of inspections carried out by the ministry's State Labour Inspection Service during the construction and reconstruction of industrial, social and domestic and other facilities upon the fact of their compliance with labour protection requirements, as well as for issuing permits for their commissioning. At the same time, well-founded suspicions were established that he repeatedly took bribes in the amount of 10,000 to 30,000 manats from each of the heads of various territorial departments of the ministry based on the results of inspections carried out by the Internal control department in territorial structures.

Salim Muslimov is charged under Articles 308.2 (abuse of power entailing grave consequences), 311.3.2 and 311.3.3 (repeated large-scale bribery) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan and has been remanded in custody by a court decision.

Investigative-operational measures are ongoing.