According to officially announced documents, since 2017, President Ilham Aliyev has given reprimands or severe reprimands to 8 high-ranking officials: reprimands to the head of the presidential administration and the executive heads of Ismayilli, Fuzuli, and Yevlakh districts; severe reprimands to the president of "Azerenergy," the chairman of "Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting," the chairman of the State Tourism Agency, and the executive head of Agdash district.
Reprimand and severe reprimand are types of disciplinary punishment. The Labor Code sets a duration for disciplinary punishment, and when this period expires, the disciplinary punishment is considered null and void. Article 190 of the Code states that the disciplinary punishment is valid for six months from the day it is given.
For example, on March 4, 2025, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on imposing a severe reprimand on Fuad Naghiyev, the chairman of the State Tourism Agency. Referring to Article 190 of the Labor Code, the disciplinary punishment applied to Fuad Naghiyev – the severe reprimand – has expired.
However, on the other hand, there is Article 25 of the "Law on Civil Service." This article does not specify the duration, i.e., the expiration date, of the disciplinary punishment – the reprimand.
When a civil servant is given a reprimand, which law is taken as the basis: the Labor Code or the "Law on Civil Service"?
Medianews.az website addressed this question to lawyer Ekrem Hasanov.
Ekrem Hasanov stated that primarily the "Law on Civil Service" applies to civil servants: "The Labor Code applies to persons working in civil service only if there is no relevant provision about this in the ‘Law on Civil Service.’
In fact, the question you asked is an open one for investigation. Yes, reprimands to civil servants are given based on the ‘Law on Civil Service.’ However, that law does not contain any provision on the expiration date or duration of the reprimand. Therefore, the question genuinely arises: in this case, is the Labor Code applied to the civil servant or not? Because if a duration for the reprimand were envisaged for civil servants, logically, it could have been directly indicated in the ‘Law on Civil Service’ as well.
But I must also say that practically, in relation to officials who have received reprimands or severe reprimands from the country’s head, there is no significant difference. Whether the reprimand they received is valid for a certain period or not does not change anything. The President can dismiss a civil servant he has appointed at any time. The fact that the head of state imposes a reprimand on some officials is, in fact, more of a favor than a sanction or punishment; it is a chance for the officials. With this, the President seems to say: actually, I could have removed you from your position, but I am not doing it, I am giving you a chance; go and eliminate the shortcomings you made in your work."
Naile Qasimova,
Medianews.az
