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  • Corruption Scandals In Armenia

    CORRUPTION SCANDALS IN ARMENIA

    Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
    Aug 1 2013

    1 August 2013 - 9:27am

    David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

    The Department of State Interest Protection of the General Prosecution
    Service sent four analyses of the report of the Control Chamber for
    2012 to the Head Investigative Department of the Armenian police. The
    analyses concerned the Center of Educational Programs, the Transport
    Program Realization Office, the Water Service Program Realization
    Office, and the Realization Office of the Program of Reconstruction
    of the Arpa-Sevan Tunnel. All these programs are being directly or
    indirectly implemented by the government, while heads of ministries
    have already reported to the government on the problems. The head
    of the Control Chamber (CC) Ishkhan Zakaryan presented the report
    on state budget expenses in 2012 and emphasized that in many spheres
    the situation remained unchanged; he highlighted outrageous cases of
    corruption in the spheres of state construction and state purchases.

    Zakaryan stated that 70%, or 701 billion drams, stayed in the risk
    zone.

    The report by Zakaryan to parliament became a swipe at the
    government of Tigran Sarkisyan, who simultaneously demanded that the
    law-enforcement agencies investigate all the facts represented by the
    CC and expressed dissatisfaction with the "CC's excess of jurisdiction
    and its political assessment." The speaker of the parliament Ovik
    Abramyan expressed his dissatisfaction as well, but not with Zakaryan,
    but the prime minister for allowing such corruption. After this he
    suggested sending all elicited abuses to the General Prosecution
    Service. Abramyan also demanded that the premier to dismiss "all
    those who rob and gobble the state budget."

    However, considering two opposite reactions of heads of the
    executive and legislative branches of power, there are doubts about
    the independent and objective behaviour of the CC, which is an
    instrument of political groups inside the power. As the opposition
    is actually isolated from real political processes, the motivation of
    the head of the CC should be found within the fight inside the ruling
    elite. And Zakaryan, the denouncer and fighter against corruption,
    provokes questions himself: in 9 months he built a cottage costing
    several million dollars. As for Abramyan, in 20 years of state service
    he purchased thousands of hectares of gardens and vineyards in the
    Ararat Region, refinery enterprises, and major financial assets. Tigran
    Sarkisyan is also a well-known wealthy person, but the prime minister
    prefers to store his property in Spain. It is logical to remember
    "the offshore scandal" involving the prime minister.

    Recently the mass media raised the question of untargeted usage of
    $2 million allocated by the government to conduct the Shanghai-2012
    exhibition by the Armenian embassy in China, which is headed by the
    prime minister's brother.

    Thus, despite the fact that the republicans state that there are no
    contradictions within the RPA, the internal party mudslinging war
    continues, presenting new instances of stealing budget resources. The
    sides are headed by the prime minister and the parliamentary speaker.

    Those around the former president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan competes
    with them as well.

    The attitude of President Serge Sargsyan seems to be ambiguous. The
    president called Zarakyan "to work in such a way that all departments
    feel the attention of the CC and would be sure of punishment
    for mistakes and crimes," while criticising him "for excess of
    jurisdiction." During the session of the Executive Board of the
    RPA, the president expressed dissatisfaction at the fact that top
    representatives of the ruling party openly criticize each other.

    http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/economy/43323.html



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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