2019 April 25
Anti-Corruption Daily
Anti-Corruption Apr/25/2019: European Court H.R. says Kocharyan regime violated Ter-Petrosyan's and protester rights on March 1st 2008.... Former high ranking Yerevan officials charged with stealing festivities funds.... Mayor & social aid official busted... BHK exits cement talks... more below
by ar_david_hh
Disclaimer: All the accused are innocent until proven guilty by the court of law, even if they may sound as being guilty. Currency in Armenian Drams unless specified otherwise.
The investigative committee is pressing felony charges against the former Yerevan Nor Norq district administrator and his office member for embezzlement.
Investigators say during 2012-2018, they falsified documents to steal funds. For example, on 2016 they collided with a director of festivities organizer to steal the funds the city dedicated for April 7 beauty day celebrations.
On 2018, they signed 7 contracts to purchase property for the city. The items were either not delivered, or lost due to negligence, and the officials failed to do their duties.
The staff worker exaggerated the amount of materials he distributed to his offices, so he could deduct more funds from the budget and keep it for himself.
District leader is charged with 4 felonies, and the staffer with 2. They are told not to leave the country.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/159924
(press F of you're a concerned citizen)
European Court for Human Rights has issued a verdict in a case relating March 1st 2008, during which Kocharyan's regime illegally and violently dispersed sleeping protesters on the early morning, before arresting president Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
ECHR: Sided with LTP against Kocharyan regime, concluding that the dispersed protesters were peaceful. The regime failed to provide any evidence that they weren't. The regime violated the protesters' rights, and discriminated against LTP.
EHCR: Sided with LTP, saying the Kocharyan regime didn't provide sufficient legal ability to allow LTP protect his rights for peaceful protest.
ECHR: Acknowledged the existence of concerning and credible information about state security officers limiting LTP's ability of free movement during his house arrest in a different incident, but the matter wasn't discussed in Armenian courts and the ECHR says there is not enough evidence for it to conclude security service agents overstepped their boundaries. ECHR sided with security service agents in this clause.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/159932
The authorities say Panama Paper suspect Mihran Poghosyan left the country on October 8th 2018, several months before the investigators re-opened his case (suspended by previous regime) and gathered enough evidence of wrongdoing. The authorities had no right to stop him at the airport at the time of his exit. He is currently facing a deportation from Russia. His asylum plea will be discussed by the Russian authorities.
https://www.lragir.am/2019/04/25/438277/
Justice Minister Zeynalyan says they have ended the practice inherited from the previous administration, in which the so called "Զոն նայողներ" (prisoners acting as goons for administrators) were given preferential treatment over other prisoners. All prison cells are now properly examined for illegal objects, says Zeynalyan.
He says some corruption still exists because the prison staff salaries are low, and they can get 1-month worth salary by allowing some prisoners to sneak-in mobile phones.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/159943
The NSS conducted audits of Armavir penitentiary and found numerous violations. The warden has resigned.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972659.html
The mayor of Armavir, Armavir Rafik Margaryan is facing multiple felony charges for allegedly hiring people as employees between 2014-2017, who didn't go to work but received salaries, which he stole from the budget. Some of these fake workers weren't in Armenia at the time when their salaries were withdrawn.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972638.html
The police used a sting operation to bust a social aid worker in Vanadzor, who demanded a bribe from a resident to register him as an aid recipient. The police earlier marked the bribe-Drams with invisible ink to later identify them under the official's possession.
http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/159977 --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Re1c-P9wU
PM Pashinyan has called for the international community to condemn Turkish president Erdogan for justifying the ethnic cleansing and subsequent genocide of Armenians. Yesterday, Erdogan said "the 1915 deportations were the right choice", and portrayed the 1.5mln Armenian civilians as armed criminals.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/159954
The government gave a tax-free status to International Manufacturing Group so it can create 65 jobs with 200k ($415) salary. the company will invest 4.9bln on parts used for producing household appliances.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/159936
The government has approved a plan to work on improving the laws to make Armenia a better place for doing business. The country's ease-of-business rating improved by 2% last year (41st place). To improve further, the government acknowledged they need to change the laws to reduce excessive administrative overhead and fees, reduce the need for businesses to interact with local or federal government agencies.
Through multiple installments and oversight, the government will donate $133,000 to chess grandmaster Levon Aronyan to help him prepare and participate in upcoming international tournaments. The funds will first be given to Chess Federation, led by Serj Sargsyan, which will transfer it to Aronyan (hopefully plz thank you).
Part of the money will be spent on purchasing a more modern equipment, which the modern day chess leaders use during their training to analyze chess moves and outcomes.
Aronyan won the World Cup and 5 tournaments on 2017. PM praised Aronyan and other successful athletes for their contribution to youth and sports.
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/159925
Pashinyan asked the Sports minister to expedite the process of examining the current conditions of the sports center where world champion greco-roman athlete Arthur Alexanyan and others train. There has been a plan to renovate it since 2015, but it wasn't done. The government is willing to spend 450mln on the project.
Photos (be careful you'll smell it) http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/159968
The government approved a plan to digitize the state property ownership database, moving away from paper. They say this will increase it's usage, make it transparent, improve the efficiency.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972616.html
Earlier, Parliament passed the draft bill to impose cement import tariffs, but no tariffs on clinker material, which BHK wanted to be taxed as well. The second Parliament hearing must take place before the bill is finally passed. QP complained that BHK is using its position to benefit its leader Tsarukyan, who owns the largest cement factory.
After the criticism, today BHK said they won't participate in Parliamentary committee discussions about cement tariff until the voting day, citing the fact that Tsarukyan has a conflict of interests in the topic.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972644.html https://factor.am/145127.html
Parliament staff member Lilith Minasyan denies the rumors that she tried to smuggle a weapon into Parliament building with an intention of checking the security guards' alertness.
She says the rumors begun when the staff was discussing security changes in the entrances.
"Երկուշաբթի օրվանից փոխեցին անցակետը, ինձ ասացին, որ Բաղրամյանի մուտքով մտնեմ: Որբաթ օրն ունեցել ենք քննարկում, որ անվտանգությունը տեխնիկական սպասարկման մուտքից տեղափոխեն Բաղրամյան: Այդ քննարկումների արդյունքում նման ասեկոսեներ են տարածվում"
Yerevan State Economic University has saved 200mln through cutting unnecessary expenditures in the past 4 months, and as a result, will triple the salaries of some professors. The university hopes to attract high quality professionals.
http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/159985
On this day last year. After Serj's resignation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4g6bC_Ke8Y
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanyan's great-grandmother died in a concentration camp during the Armenian Genocide, while the great-grandfather was killed before reaching there, in Adana (Cilicia region). Statement in article...
https://armtimes.com/hy/article/159888
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Los Angeles legislative has passed a bill declaring April 24th as Armenian Genocide remembrance day, and condemned the murder of 1.5mln Armenians between 1915-1923.
http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/159971
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Tens of thousands of people marched in Los Angeles to commemorate the Armenian genocide. Mayor Garcetti, lawmakers and other officials were present.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972677.html
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Genocide remembrance meeting was organized in Brussels. The church, Armenian community members and Belgian legislature members marched afterwards.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972663.html
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A similar memorial was held in Vienna, Antalia, Aleppo, Litva, Czech Republic, Ajaria, Greece, Rome, Uruguay, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972631.html ---- http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/159996 --- http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/159996 --- https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972719.html --- https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972656.html --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV6WaLyGlng
--- https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972698.html --- https://factor.am/145313.html
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Swedish Parliament commemorated the Genocide
http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/159984
Armenia's first ever liver transplant surgery was done yesterday in Astghik hospital. The daughter saved her mother's life.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/972567.html
Artsakh army denies the false rumors circulated by the Azeri army, suggesting that Armenians opened artillery file on two occasions towards a village. Artsakh army is ready to publish video footage of said time-frame to prove it's a lie, said the Ministry.
http://nkrmil.am/news/view/2421
Georgian residents and the monks of a Georgia-Azerbaijan bordering church are complaining that Azeri soldiers aren't letting them enter the church.
The church, named after its founder, was founded by an Assyrian (some claim Assyrian-Armenian) monk David Garejeli on 6th century, who settled in the cave and used it to build the church. He was one of the 13 Assyrian Fathers who are credited with establishing Christianity in Georgia on 6th century.
This is not the first such border dispute in this bordering area. Georgians have offered Azeris to give the Azeri part of the area to Georgia in exchange for a piece of land in another area, but the Azeri side refused, partially because the church is on a strategically important land for their military.
Years earlier, Azeri authorities infuriated their Georgian counterparts by attempting to distort the history by suggesting the church was "Caucasian Albanian". Georgians say the monastery has Georgian inscriptions dating back to 6th century, and no sign of other culture dating back those times. Historical evidence shows the church was created at a time when it was under Georgian influence, and only later it went "back-and-forth".
https://hetq.am/hy/article/103127 --- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gareja_monastery_complex
Link to original report: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/bhdpgf/anticorruption_apr252019_european_court_hr_says/
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