2018 November 27

Anti-Corruption Daily

by ar_david_hh

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

Cadastre Committee chief (land and property registrations) says they've uncovered 23 corruption cases recently, involving up to $3mln in damages. Names of former high ranking officials are involved. Cases are submitted to prosecutors http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/149289

Yerevan municipality will hire an independent contractor to audit the 2018 budget expenditure https://armenpress.am/arm/news/955967.html

PM Pashinyan cancels the promise to issue sporting gear to a village for Olympics training, in order not to cause unnecessary legal complications. Some have argued that candidates can't give such promises under the new law, while others argue that a candidate is allowed to promise to solve a problem as long as it's not a personal gift https://factor.am/102623.html

... During a rally, Pashinyan promises to "spread the criminal elements and thieves-in-laws on the asphalt" if they attempt to illegally interfere in the upcoming elections. Tells HHK mayors to do their everyday work and to not abuse their powers by requiring locals to vote for a particular party https://youtu.be/4YmNdeQFcTQ

... says they've negotiated with a Russian-Armenian investor who will invest $14mln to restart the mine on which the Alaverdi copper factory relies on. It was recently suspended due to loan related issues with a bank. It will have more employees than before. Once the mine is functional, the factory itself could also operate. Pashinyan says they're currently negotiating with Italian and Chinese companies to build a brand new plant that will meet the environmental standards https://armenpress.am/arm/news/956070.html

... says Veolia Water has agreed not to raise water prices for the next 5 years. http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/149297

Ministry of Energy says it's possible they'll build a new nuclear power plant in Armenia. They are negotiating to get the funds for its construction. No decision will be made in the next 4 years, because the nuclear market is going through a transformation and new energy generator blocs are being introduced. Minister Baghramyan says they'll wait and see the new options, then find out which blocs suit best for Armenia. The existing plant will operate until 2026, before a new study is conducted to find out if it's safe to continue its operation. With the recent renovation which will continue until 2020, it'll have a 10% efficiency boost. The $270mln Russian renovation loan will be repaid by 2021. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/956081.html ---- https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=18&v=r_DrAES-amU

The armed forces have tested a Tochka tactical ballistic missile system. The target was destroyed from a 65km distance https://armenpress.am/arm/news/956043.html

As of November 27th, 531 prisoners and probation servers have been pardoned as part of the mass amnesty bill http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/149325

President Sarkissian is in Germany at the invitation of Chancellor Angela Merkel, as part of the continuation of the cooperation that begun on summer when Merkel visited Yerevan. Sarkissian has met the German president and invited him to Armenia; the latter has accepted it. https://hetq.am/hy/article/98569

Link to original report: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/a0z2lo/anticorruption_nov272018/