2018 September 24

Anti-Corruption Daily

Anti-Corruption Sep/24/2018: QP's Hayk Marutyan will be the next Yerevan mayor; Turkish shepherd boy who crossed the border will be returned; Samvel Aleksanyan's businesses moves thousands of unregistered employees to legal sphere to pay taxes; (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.

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QP’s Hayk Marutyan wins 81% of the votes (56 seats) and will automatically become the mayor bypassing the council vote, because he received over 50% of the votes. BHK won 7% (5 seats). Luys 5% (4 seats). ARF and all other parties will have no members in the council. Yerkir Tsurani and HHK lost all of their seats. The voter turnout was 3% higher than last time totaling 43%, which is normal for local elections, according to international observers. https://news.am/arm/news/472594.html

Pashinyan is in New York, speaking with investors. He’ll begin the process of negotiating with Parliament to dismiss it to organize new elections. At the moment, despite the revolution and Serj’s resignation, HHK still holds the majority of the seats https://news.am/arm/news/472606.html

BHK congratulates QP with the victory https://news.am/arm/news/472638.html

Heritage party congratulates Armenians with the first truly transparent and fair elections in decades https://armenpress.am/arm/news/948299/

... congratulations from HHK, ARF and other parties. Democrat Party isn't happy about the high % victory.

The Foreign Ministry addresses Ilham Aliyev’s Twitter post in which he criticized the international observers’ positive response to (presumably Yerevan) elections, one day before the elections took place. Ministry points out the United Nations Secretary’s recent remarks that praised the Armenian Revolution as a textbook example of a peaceful transition of power, and says that Aliyev is nervous because he is afraid of the same situation in his country https://armenpress.am/arm/news/948303/

Factor TV investigates: Oligarch Samuel Lfik Aleksanyan has properly registered thousands of more employees and brought them to the legal sphere to pay taxes, after the new administration’s crackdown on shadowy economy. Around 28,000 employees in similar circumstances have been properly registered. https://factor.am/85130.html

Pashinyan creates a group of 8, that’ll be tasked with examining the reasons why the Russian gas is bought for $150 but sold to residents for $290 . Gazprom Armenia Co. will also have a representative in the commission. https://news.am/arm/news/472653.html ---- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4_bwHSHJec

Robert Kocharyan is suing PM Pashinyan for an alleged defamation. He wants Pashinyan to apologize for implying that Kocharyan was responsible for the March 1st murders. He is also suing 1in.am news agency claiming defamation for publishing an opinion piece critical of Kocharyan. Kocharyan’s son is suing NSS chief Vanetsyan and another political analyst on the same grounds http://hetq.am/arm/news/93335/robert-qocharyany-zrpartutyan-hamar-dati-e-tvel-nikol-pashinyanin-isk-ordin-aats-tnorenin.html

Press F to continue...

The Homeland-Diaspora gov-funded organization, which was caught embezzling public funds, has so far returned AMD 49mln http://investigative.am/news/view/hayreniq-spyurq.html

HHK Shawarmazanov is drafting a bill that will make it illegal to protest on the land owned by the church or on its surrounding areas. https://news.am/arm/news/472633.html

... while meeting with Belarus colleagues, Sharmazanov raised the concern that the weapons sold by belarus to Azerbaijan are being used against Armenia, their CSTO ally. An agreement was made with several Belarusian companies to study the possibility of creating a tractor-producing factory in Armenia https://armenpress.am/arm/news/948384/

The 16 year old Turkish shepherd boy who was arrested after crossing the Armenian border, will be released. As we said earlier, politician Aragats Akhoyan met him in the detention center. Says the boy wanted to see what Armenia looked like before climbing the hill. Accuses the Turkish and Azeri media of spreading misinformation about him being kept in bad conditions. The NSS has finished questioning him and didn't find anything suspicious. Says the process is complicated due to lack of diplomatic times with Turkey. Says the Armenian side financially supported the parents to come and visit him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXnz_yZB_Z8

Watch the Russian Comedy Club’s Armenia-episode starring Jean-Claude Van Damme here http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/144859

Assyrians have a small community in Armenia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16N2LonU4Ac

Italian Giovanni De Biasi will be the new Armenian National team coach. He has trained Udinese, Torino, Levante, Albania teams in past https://armlur.am/841483/

Vazgen Tevanyan also wins a bronze medal in youth freestyle wrestling world championship https://armenpress.am/arm/news/948307/

Bloomberg: Armenia is the 10th fastest growing tourism destination, with a 18.65% growth. Cox & King travel agency plans to create a travel package for international travelers to visit Armenia and Georgia in the same tour https://news.am/arm/news/472713.html

Japanese space mission lands a rover on an asteroid. PHOTOS: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/948313/

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/9il8m0/anticorruption_sep242018_qps_hayk_marutyan_will/