DUSHANBE, January 9, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Newly appointed Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimov has dismissed his son Dilshod Rahimov from his position of police operative agent with the police station in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district and his brother Rahmonqul Rahimov from his position of chief of the organized crime control department (UBOP) in Sughd province.

An official source at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) says the minister has made that decision to contribute to the fight against nepotism in the country.

We will recall that under the law on corruption officials do not have the right to take immediate relatives into jobs.  

On October 12, 2011, Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament endorsed amendments made to the country’s anti-corruption law.  Under one of these amendments, high-ranking state official are now prohibited from taking on not only their children but also their children-in-law.

The children-in-law are now also considered immediate relatives of the high-ranking state officials.  Earlier, the wife, the husband, parents, children and children-in-law’s parents had been considered immediate relatives of the high-ranking state officials.