OMM Newsroom
People who report corruption will be eligible for a reward of up to 25 times the minimum monthly wage, and the payment will be exempt from income tax.
The Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the provision is included in a new bill titled “On encouraging and protecting people who report corruption-related offenses.”
The bill was discussed at a joint meeting of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) committees on defense, security and combating corruption, and on legal policy and state building.
Under the bill, if the information is confirmed, the person who provided it will be paid a reward within 10 working days under a decision by the head of the organization. The payment will come from the organization’s budget; for budget-funded organizations, it will be covered by their operating expenses and off-budget funds.
The reward may not exceed 25 times the minimum monthly wage. Its amount will take into account the nature of the corruption-related offense, the number of facts reported, how important the information was in detecting the offense, the damage caused and the value of assets recovered.
The bill also provides for a payment to the informant if criminal proceedings result in a conviction or another final decision on an accusatory basis, or are terminated on grounds that do not exonerate the accused. In accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code, the payment will equal 5% of proceeds from the sale, lease or transfer to management of property subject to special confiscation in the criminal case, after deducting costs related to its care and management; 5% of specially confiscated funds, after deducting bank transaction costs and other payments set by regulations; or 5% of the amount paid to the state budget under grounds provided for in criminal law, or of the material damage recovered for the state.
In other words, the person who reports the offense will receive 5% of the funds returned to the state or of the material damage recovered as a result of the criminal case.
A decision on paying the informant during pretrial proceedings will be made by the investigator with the approval of the prosecutor overseeing the preliminary investigation. During court proceedings, the court hearing the case will make the decision.
In addition, proposed amendments to the Tax Code would exempt rewards received by people reporting corruption from income tax.
Whistleblower protection laws are designed to encourage the reporting of misconduct while safeguarding those who provide information. The bill would link rewards to confirmed reports and, in certain cases, to funds or damages recovered for the state.
