Tajik president calls for tougher anti-corruption measures.

DUSHANBE, April 25 (Itar-Tass) -- President of Tajikistan Emomali
Rakhmon on Saturday expressed concern over spreading corruption, which
"undermines the foundations of the statehood," and called anti-corruption
efforts the state's legal policy priority.
"Fighting corruption and corruption-related crimes is one of the top
priorities of the state legal policy, since corruption undermines the
foundations of the state, hamper normal work of state authorities and
produce negative effects on economic and social development, behaviour and
mentality of society and other aspects of life," Rakhmon stressed.
He urged government officials, lawmakers and local authorities to
elaborate, pass and implement in-house anti-corruption programs. According
to the Tajik president, "any citizen of the republic, regardless of his or
her position or patrons, must be held liable for corruption implication."
Meanwhile, independent observers say neither of the country's
officials disclose their incomes or incomes of their relatives, leaving
the general public only guess how come that a medium-level official has
bought 10,000-U.D. dollar worth of shares in the Rogun hydropower plant
when an average monthly wage in the country is just 70 U.S. dollars.
-0-ras