CIVIL SOCIETY DISCUSS PROBLEMS IN REGISTRATION OF REAL ESTATE

Posted by: admin | Posted on: Апрель 23, 2013

Transparency Azerbaijan, with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), organized a roundtable to discuss Problems in Registration of Real Estate. The roundtable was one in a series organized by Transparency Azerbaijan aimed at facilitating dialogue between government institutions and NGOs on increasing transparency and accountability. Round table participants identified and discussed current deficiencies in efforts to minimize opportunities for corrupt practices in registration of real estate, and proposed ways to increase transparency and accountability in this area.
It is regretful that the authorized public agency — State Registry of Real Estate under State Property Committee decided not to participate in the event despite advanced invitation. It shall be mentioned that, very much unlike previous nine round tables organized by Transparency Azerbaijan in the previous year, this is the first time when a public agency refrained from discussion with the civil society. Representatives of some public agencies, as well as local and international NGO representatives participated in the roundtable.
Participants agreed that the Government of Azerbaijan is striving to ensure transparency and efficiency in the real estate registration system, including steps to simplify property registration in the country, to create a single information address register system and to apply on-line registration. By law, transfer of property in Azerbaijan requires four procedures which takes eleven days and 0.2% of the value of property, however, in practice a number of serious challenges in this area remain.
Sahib Mammadov, chairman of Citizens Labor Rights Protection League spoke of existing problems in registration of real estate, Mirvari Gahramanli, head of Oil Industry Workers’ Rights Protection Organization discussed typical legal violations in real estate registration and their prevention, Irada Javadova, chairperson of Public Association on Enlightenment on Human Rights touched upon the transparency of real estate registration from a practicing lawyer’s point of view. Zaur Ibrahimov, vice-president of the Constitutional Research Fund and coordinator of Information and Cooperation Network of Anti-corruption NGOs, spoke on methodology to monitor violations in real estate registration designed by local experts. At the end of the event, Rena Safaralieva, executive director, Transparency Azerbaijan summed up suggestions to increase transparency in registration of real estate.
Participants expressed their disappointment that the chance exchange of views between government and civil society at the roundtable was lost. They also decided to deliver to the Registry written recommendations from civil society organizations on improving transparency and accountability in the area of real estate registration.