The parliament’s Defence, Security and Counter-corruption Committee and the Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Committee held a joint meeting on 7 December, opening which the head of the former Ziyafet Asgarov announced the interconnected draft laws coming up for discussion there.

Mr Asgarov remarked as he was introducing Item I, namely, the first-reading Law ‘On Preventing Legalisation of Proceeds of Criminal Activity and Financing of Terrorism’, that it was meant to replace the currently-effective law by the same title, and had been drawn up based on the recommendations of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force).

The idea behind the new Bill is to generate conditions excluding legalisation of criminal proceeds and financing of terrorism alike as well as discouraging abuse of a national economic system to illegal ends. In addition, the draft will ensure fulfilment of obligations under the international treaties to which Azerbaijan is a party, will protect both state and public interests and will regulate relations in the context of practical international co-operation.

The Committee heard what the MPs Aydin Mirzazade, Aghil Abbas and Arzu Naghiyev had to say about the Bill before clearing it for tabling at a plenum of the Milli Majlis.

Item II of the meeting’s agenda was about the first-reading Bill ‘On Targeted Financial Sanctions’. Chairman of the Economic Policy, Industries and Enterprising Committee Tahir Mirkishili who presented it argued for the importance of undermining the economic basis and reducing the financial resources deployed by proliferators of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The head of the committee touched on international experience in this area and stressed that Azerbaijan had a stable banking and financial system. The new draft law would also introduce a legal framework for our country's relevant activities in the international arena, Mr Mirkishili added.

Nizami Safarov of the Defence, Security and Counter-Corruption Committee said whilst providing the meeting participants with an all-encompassing resume on the Bill that the instrument establishes a legal basis and procedure for targeted financial sanctions (TFS) to prevent the financing of terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the financing of the latter. These targets are in line with certain UN Security Council resolutions. According to the MP, the 13-article document covers all issues and aspects of applying targeted sanctions.

This item was commented upon by Deputy Chairman of the CEPIE Ali Masimli and the MPs Vugar Bayramov, Arzu Naghiyev and Elnur Allahverdiyev. Deputy Head of the State-Building, Administrative and Military Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis Staff Kamala Pashayeva and the same department’s chief counsellor Emin Azimzade commented on the MPs’ feedback. It was then recommended that this Bill, too, should be brought before the parliamentary plenum in the first reading.

After that came the turn of Item III, of which MP Nizami Safarov said that there was a set of first-reading amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offences, drawn up in view of the new draft laws tabled at the committees’ joint meeting earlier.

Those amendments were cleared for submission for consideration of a plenum of the Milli Majlis in the first reading.

Also, the MPs considered a compendium of first-reading amendments to the Housing Code and the laws ‘On Currency Regulation’, ‘On State Registration of Legal Entities and the State Register’, ‘On Banks’, ‘On Approval of the Charter of the Counter-Corruption Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan’, ‘On Insurance’, ‘On Investment Funds’, ‘On the Securities Market’ and ‘On Cashless Settlements’. All those amendments, too, follow the new draft laws ‘On Preventing Legalisation of Proceeds of Criminal Activity and Financing of Terrorism’ and ‘On Targeted Financial Sanctions’, and were recommended for consideration at a plenum of the Milli Majlis.

Amongst the other participants of the joint meeting were the MPs Elman Mammadov, Bakhtiyar Sadigov, Mahir Abbaszade, Rufat Guliyev, Anar Mammadov, Igbal Mammadov and Ziyad Samadzade.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis