Baku: Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Azerbaijan, including branches and representative offices of foreign NGOs, will soon face new financial penalties for failing to submit their annual financial reports on grants and donations. This change is part of a new Article 598.8-1 added to the Administrative Offences Code of Azerbaijan, which has been approved by President Ilham Aliyev.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the new regulation mandates that NGOs must provide detailed annual financial reports on grants and donations, including their utilization, to an authorized regulatory authority. This requirement is in alignment with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On the Fight against legalization of the property received in the criminal way, and terrorism financing”. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in fines ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 AZN for responsible officials, and between 2,500 and 3,000 AZN for legal entities.