2018 December 6

Anti-Corruption Daily

Anti-Corruption Dec/6/2018: || Serj's brother's chauffeur got paid by military illegally for 14 years || Hamalir management faces embezzlement and tax avoidance charges || Car servicing companies repaid 559mln so far || Multiple companies receive tax waivers; || more below...
by ar_david_hh

All the accused are innocent until proven guilty by the court of law. Currency in Armenian Drams unless specified otherwise.

Investigators have found that a military officer, serving as a driver, did not come to work for 14 years while still being paid. Instead, he provided chauffeuring services to Serj's brother Levon Sargsyan. The officer was then "laid off" and given a pension for his "long service". Multiple military officers are indicted in the criminal case. http://armtimes.com/hy/article/149994

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The authorities have uncovered a corruption and embezzlement in K. Demirchyan Marzahamergayin Hamalir (aka Համալիր). Eight of the security guards never came to work but continued to receive salaries worth million of drams. Authorities also believe the director, whose contract was recently cancelled, hid some of the income generated from ice rink utilization https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957138.html

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Days earlier we learned about a criminal embezzlement charges against the former assistant of State Property Management chief for abuse of power and selling 244mln worth water canal and land for 23mln. Here are more details: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957195.html

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The car servicing companies that were caught avoiding taxes have so far repaid AMD 599mln back https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957083.html

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Third day in a row, the Parliament doesn't have enough MPs to vote on whether to strip a HHK MP of his immunity or not, in order to let the law enforcement arrest him for a $14mln bribe. Most MPs are either campaigning, or have decided that after December 9th the new Parliament will handle it. https://hetq.am/hy/article/98824

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Government grants a temporary tax pardon to various bag and container producing Ginup Inc so it can invest AMD 12.5bln and create 106 jobs with avg 180k salary. Annual production will be 3bln and mostly consumed domestically, with some exports to EEU. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957092.html

... Armenian Helicopters Inc gets a tax pardon to finish its AMD 1.8bln helicopter and parts imports. 16 jobs with average 600k salary. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957094.html

.. Artik Inc gets tax pardon to invest 6bln and create 160 jobs in textile and clothing factory in Maralik with avg 185k salary https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957102.html

... ArmSunProduct won't pay import taxes to greenhouse equipment. It plans to invest AMD 42.7bln to create 700 jobs with 150k salary. Out of annual 16bln production, 14bln will be exported to EEU (Eurasian Economic Union) https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957101.html

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After lengthy negotiations with car importers, the government will grant them a one-time permission to import their right-wheel cars with the condition that they'll convert it to left side wheel within 6 months. The importers were complaining that large quantities of vehicles were being held at the border customs. It is illegal to drive a car with the wheel on the right side, unless the car was registered before the implementation of the ban https://youtu.be/rKw7CmN1qgI?t=79

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Armenia accepts the role of EEU presidency for 2019 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957142.html

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Did you know the Parliamentary elections are in a few days?

POLL: MGP (copycat Gallup) releases results of survey on 1100 voters. 69.4% QP; 5.7 BHK, 3.8 Bright Armenia; 1.4 Sasna Tsrer; 1.3 HHK; 1.2 ARF https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957095.html

... BHK's Tsar. Gagik suggests letting university students pay the tuition fees with monthly 20k payments throughout 10 years after graduation, instead of all at once during the enrollment. He's also against the idea of sending 18 year olds to the front lines; suggests sending only the hired professionals instead. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957182.html

... HHK Vigen Sargsyan and QP Nikol Pashinyan in a hot debate. Pashinyan takes on HHK's live videos in which HHK members asked voters to vote for them for the only proper representation, says HHK hasn't represented them for 20 years. Sargsyan says they have represented better than Pashinyan did in the past 6 months. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw2DuauGTuc

... your daily LGBT shitshow debate, this time between #1 Vigen and #1 Nikol. Vigen accuses Nikol of being sexist and divisive, while Nikol accuses Vigen of hypocrisy and being an LGBT activist himself http://armtimes.com/hy/article/149948 ------- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj0JqCf8c80

.... Քօ կլասսիկ ցավը տանեմ. BHK Tsarukyan vs Bright Armenia Edmon Maruqyan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMQ2YpmiH0E

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Promise Kept: prisons have begun installing video call booths for the inmates. They'll be able to make video calls to relatives twice a month, for 20 minutes. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/957144.html

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Armenian tech company ArcNet.io has created a blockchain powered platform to allow professionals and graduates to upload their tech diplomas and profiles to a public or privately accessible database. The developers say this can help to solve problems such as the case of 40 fake medical diplomas that were issued in Armenia and used in Israel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdB14tWBzOE

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German papers have written multiple articles about Armenia after president Aram Sarkissian's visit. They talk about the country as an emerging tech-producer, as well as the world's oldest 6,000 year old winery and traditions https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/it-aufbruch-in-armenien-chess-valley-15917829.html -------- https://www.sueddeutsche.de/reise/armenien-reise-wein-1.4230114

Link to original report: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/a3seyr/anticorruption_dec62018_serjs_brothers_chauffeur/