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ARMENIA'S FIRST LADY BOUNTIFUL
by Giorgi Lomsadze
EurasiaNet.org
June 19 2012
NY
Surveys show that Armenians tend to believe that the man has to be
the principal moneymaker in a family. But looks like the country's
presidential family is bucking that trend. Judging by official income
disclosures, President Serzh Sargsyan lives, financially speaking,
in the shadow of his richer wife, Rita.
While the president was scrimping together a modest annual income in
drams of some $34,900 (salary plus accruals on loans) in 2011, Rita
Sargsyan was busy making the dram equivalent of $41,000, reported
the investigative news service Hetq. Perhaps because of his modest
revenue, the Armenian president did not do any large-scale shopping
or investment in 2011, if we go by his income declaration.
In neighboring Georgia, President Mikheil Saakashvili seems to be
the breadwinner in his family. President Saakashvili's annual salary
in laris is just $1,000 higher than that of his Armenian counterpart,
while his wife, Sandra Roelofs, has not disclosed any earned wages for
2011. Saakashvili owns more property than his wife, but the his and
her bank accounts seem to be about the same size in that family. As
of May 16, 2012, the president reported about $85,000 in his bank
accounts (in dollars, euros and laris), while the first lady has
above $86,000 worth of euros and laris.
Many in Armenia and Georgia are skeptical about such official income
disclosures, but, in their richer neighbor, Azerbaijan, even that is
not available. Both President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban
Aliyeva, are reported to have vast business interests, but there
appears to be no official data out there to show who brings home more
money at the end of the day.
by Giorgi Lomsadze
EurasiaNet.org
June 19 2012
NY
Surveys show that Armenians tend to believe that the man has to be
the principal moneymaker in a family. But looks like the country's
presidential family is bucking that trend. Judging by official income
disclosures, President Serzh Sargsyan lives, financially speaking,
in the shadow of his richer wife, Rita.
While the president was scrimping together a modest annual income in
drams of some $34,900 (salary plus accruals on loans) in 2011, Rita
Sargsyan was busy making the dram equivalent of $41,000, reported
the investigative news service Hetq. Perhaps because of his modest
revenue, the Armenian president did not do any large-scale shopping
or investment in 2011, if we go by his income declaration.
In neighboring Georgia, President Mikheil Saakashvili seems to be
the breadwinner in his family. President Saakashvili's annual salary
in laris is just $1,000 higher than that of his Armenian counterpart,
while his wife, Sandra Roelofs, has not disclosed any earned wages for
2011. Saakashvili owns more property than his wife, but the his and
her bank accounts seem to be about the same size in that family. As
of May 16, 2012, the president reported about $85,000 in his bank
accounts (in dollars, euros and laris), while the first lady has
above $86,000 worth of euros and laris.
Many in Armenia and Georgia are skeptical about such official income
disclosures, but, in their richer neighbor, Azerbaijan, even that is
not available. Both President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban
Aliyeva, are reported to have vast business interests, but there
appears to be no official data out there to show who brings home more
money at the end of the day.