Tweet
TOP GENERAL SLAMS PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY
By Karine Kalantarian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
March 14 2007
Seyran Saroyan, an influential army general who recently retired from
the military to join the election campaign, on Wednesday called for an
end to immunity from prosecution enjoyed by Armenian parliamentarians.
Saroyan, who commanded Armenia's Fourth Army Corps until last month,
is running for parliament in a single-mandate constituency covering
his town of Echmiadzin and surrounding villages. He has been endorsed
by the governing Republican Party (HHK) led by Defense Minister
Serzh Sarkisian.
"If we want to have normal deputies we must abolish that immunity so
that everyone comes to the legal field," Saroyan told RFE/RL in an
interview. "If, God willing, I get elected, that will be my first
objective. And we'll then see whether so many people will again
scramble to get into parliament."
The 39-year-old prominent veteran of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh did
not say how he would go about scrapping something which is enshrined
in the Armenian constitution. The constitution can be amended only
by means of a referendum.
Saroyan's surprise decision to quit the armed forces and become a
politician was announced amid rumors that the HHK is looking for ways
of unseating Hakob Hakobian, a controversial pro-government lawmaker
who is expected to go on trial on charges of tax evasion and assault
later this year. Hakobian, who joined the HHK last year, is running
for parliament from the same constituency.
Saroyan insisted, however, that the decision to contest the May 12
elections was entirely his, saying that Armenia needs "people like me
who think about developing the country." "We have mainly the rich and
the poor," he complained. "If we don't have a sizable middle class
in our country, we won't achieve anything."
Saroyan added that as a member of the National Assembly he would
strive to enlarge the Armenian middle class by advocating a tougher
government crackdown on widespread tax evasion. "Nobody must have
the right to steal anything from this state," he said.
Saroyan, who had been promoted to the rank of major-general by
President Robert Kocharian at the age of 32, is believed to have made a
big fortune over the past decade thanks to his proximity to successive
governments in Yerevan. He as well as another top army general, Deputy
Defense Minister Manvel Grigorian, wield a considerable economic and
political clout in the Echmiadzin area.
Critics have long accused the two close friends of dominating the
area through an atmosphere of fear. Many residents of Echmiadzin, a
historic town 20 kilometers south of Yerevan, would agree with this
assertion. "We live in a military zone with a military discipline,"
one of them told RFE/RL.
While admitting that he is a wealthy person, Saroyan claimed that
he owns no businesses in Armenia. "I only have businesses abroad. I
received them as gifts from my friends long time ago," he said,
speaking in an Echmiadzin winery which is officially owned by his
father.
The bearded general also opined that low-income Armenians should
be happy to be represented and governed by wealthy individuals. "A
poor person can't take care of other poor people," he said. "Only
well-to-do people think about good things."
By Karine Kalantarian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
March 14 2007
Seyran Saroyan, an influential army general who recently retired from
the military to join the election campaign, on Wednesday called for an
end to immunity from prosecution enjoyed by Armenian parliamentarians.
Saroyan, who commanded Armenia's Fourth Army Corps until last month,
is running for parliament in a single-mandate constituency covering
his town of Echmiadzin and surrounding villages. He has been endorsed
by the governing Republican Party (HHK) led by Defense Minister
Serzh Sarkisian.
"If we want to have normal deputies we must abolish that immunity so
that everyone comes to the legal field," Saroyan told RFE/RL in an
interview. "If, God willing, I get elected, that will be my first
objective. And we'll then see whether so many people will again
scramble to get into parliament."
The 39-year-old prominent veteran of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh did
not say how he would go about scrapping something which is enshrined
in the Armenian constitution. The constitution can be amended only
by means of a referendum.
Saroyan's surprise decision to quit the armed forces and become a
politician was announced amid rumors that the HHK is looking for ways
of unseating Hakob Hakobian, a controversial pro-government lawmaker
who is expected to go on trial on charges of tax evasion and assault
later this year. Hakobian, who joined the HHK last year, is running
for parliament from the same constituency.
Saroyan insisted, however, that the decision to contest the May 12
elections was entirely his, saying that Armenia needs "people like me
who think about developing the country." "We have mainly the rich and
the poor," he complained. "If we don't have a sizable middle class
in our country, we won't achieve anything."
Saroyan added that as a member of the National Assembly he would
strive to enlarge the Armenian middle class by advocating a tougher
government crackdown on widespread tax evasion. "Nobody must have
the right to steal anything from this state," he said.
Saroyan, who had been promoted to the rank of major-general by
President Robert Kocharian at the age of 32, is believed to have made a
big fortune over the past decade thanks to his proximity to successive
governments in Yerevan. He as well as another top army general, Deputy
Defense Minister Manvel Grigorian, wield a considerable economic and
political clout in the Echmiadzin area.
Critics have long accused the two close friends of dominating the
area through an atmosphere of fear. Many residents of Echmiadzin, a
historic town 20 kilometers south of Yerevan, would agree with this
assertion. "We live in a military zone with a military discipline,"
one of them told RFE/RL.
While admitting that he is a wealthy person, Saroyan claimed that
he owns no businesses in Armenia. "I only have businesses abroad. I
received them as gifts from my friends long time ago," he said,
speaking in an Echmiadzin winery which is officially owned by his
father.
The bearded general also opined that low-income Armenians should
be happy to be represented and governed by wealthy individuals. "A
poor person can't take care of other poor people," he said. "Only
well-to-do people think about good things."