2019 September 2

Anti-Corruption Daily

News from Armenia - Sep/2/2019 :: Investigators vs Investigator :: Azerbaijan's occupation of Georgia :: Amulsar mining :: Artsakh celebrates :: Health Ministry :: Kocharyan & Allies :: Garbage :: Outcome of new online student registration system :: 3 high profile soccer transfers ::: more...
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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38,000 teachers begun receiving a 10% salary raise beginning Sept 1st.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168486

The chief of Investigative Committee has launched an investigation against the investigator tasked with investigating whether the former regime's Nature Ministry officials broke the law by hiding Amulsar environmental issues.

This investigator earlier concluded no felony was committed by former officials. The media then found out that he has a common relative with the former Nature Minister. Accusations of conflict of interests were made. The agency is investigating whether protocols or laws were broken by the investigator. He has been questioned.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168456

https://youtu.be/4eS20mBB80k

American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia has asked the government to authorize the Amulsar mining, saying it'll meet the environmental standards and benefit the economy, and that its rejection will "negatively affect the business environment."

https://hetq.am/hy/article/106913

A group celebrating a wedding in Dvin restaurant in Gyumri had a food poisoning. The police came and shut down the restaurant. 46 patients including 9 children were transported to a hospital. Most of them are already discharged.

Felony case is launched. Samples were taken for lab. It showed that the chicken meat had a staphylococcus bacteria.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168369

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168375

https://hetq.am/hy/article/106916

Artsakh Republic is celebrating its 28th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan. The independence referendum took place a few years after the govt of Soviet Azerbaijan allowed the mob to organize and carry out massacres of ethnic Armenians across Azerbaijan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk8vZLZC_A0

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168444

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168443

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168446

Here is the transcript of Pashinyan's interview to Nouvelle d'Arménie. They discussed foreign and internal affairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULCs0KMncS4

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168406

The National Center of Oncology has been removed from the list of institutes that were subject to privatization. After the 2018 revolution, the new Healthcare Minister Torosyan said the institute is "too vital" and should remain as a national institute. It is currently managed by the Ministry, which replaced the director.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/168508

SALT! Not good for your cardiovascular system. Don't be too salty. It can kill you. Salt's impact is twice worse than smoking in Armenia, says Healthcare Minister.

https://www.lragir.am/2019/09/02/471612/

Speaking of salty...

Artsakh politician and Kocharyan's close friend Vitali Balasanyan, a possible candidate in the upcoming Artsakh elections, doesn't like the idea of Pashinyan government financing independent election monitoring agencies to make sure the upcoming Artsakh elections are transparent. He referred to it as "an intervention into Artsakh sovereignty by Pashinyan". He referred to the monitors (Transparency International and Informed Citizens Artsakh Branch) as "foreign programs" (referring to western nations).

He then referred to the 2018 revolution as illegal, and everything done by Pashinyan as "criminally punishable".

https://factor.am/179670.html

Pashinyan's spokesman responded:

The election observing mission was agreed upon by Artsakh and Armenian governments. Any democratic state should make sure the elections are done fairly.

Calling the 2018 revolution illegal is the same as saying the population illegally assumed power that rightfully belongs to it. The only ones who can be accused of illegally appropriating power are the now-marginalized forces that did so in past through election rigging and murder. (shots fired)

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/986664.html

Related: https://factor.am/179673.html

Related: https://youtu.be/2kkbZt9X1fk

Putin, Serj and Bako congratulated Kocharyan with his 65th birthday few days ago.

http://panarmenian.net/m/arm/news/272524

http://panarmenian.net/m/arm/news/272526

http://panarmenian.net/m/arm/news/272523

Last week Yerevan refused to pay Sanitek garbage collector several hundreds thousand dollars due to "contract violations through insufficient garbage collection". Sanitek said "it'll get worse if you don't pay".

Today the city blamed Sanitek for not doing its work for the 4th day in a row, and said it'll cause more legal problems for Sanitek. Sanitek pointed the finger at the city and accused it of violating the contract.

Sanitek is asking the city to renew the contract and pay more money because they can't handle it all. City is saying "if you want a new contract, you have to cancel this one and let us organize a new auction; maybe another company will offer better terms." The city isn't canceling the contract outright because it'll takes a long time to find a replacement. Meanwhile, the city established its own garbage collecting agency.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168407

https://factor.am/179676.html

Gegharquniq governor says that even though fishing in Sevan has been legally restricted for many years, de-facto it wasn't enforced well and there has been an annual 3,000 - 5,000 tons of illegal fishing each year. They plan to launch a regulated pilot program to allow 150 tons of legal fishing each year, with one of the reasons being the growing population of whitefish. This comes amid the government's increased fight against illegal fish businesses that use too much water.

http://arka.am/en/news/society/government_of_armenia_will_introduce_quotas_for_fishing_in_lake_sevan/

A group of students from Economics university are boycotting classes. They are demanding Ruben Hayrapetyan (not former HFF boss) to return as the acting rector. The latter replaced a previously-resigned rector but received criticism after accusations that his dissertation contained false or copied data. The new acting rector is also accused of plagiarism, but at a larger scale.

Students viewed Hayrapetyan as the more favorable candidate. The latter says his proponents within the university are being retaliated against, for supporting him.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168417

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168448

https://factor.am/179439.html

The Ministry of Education earlier implemented an online school student registration system, to prevent corruption by directors who take cash to recruit students, and to streamline the registration process.

The result has been a double-digit % reduction of schools that have too few or too many students. The distribution is more even because the parents know about the choices. There has been a small YoY increase in the number of registered students (likely unrelated).

https://factor.am/179643.html

It's spreading. Now 15 military units and thousands of soldiers have their food served by the higher quality private companies.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168459

Few weeks ago, Armenia and Azerbaijan boasted about moving the borders forward. Satellite confirmed large Armenian advancements near Armenia's north-eastern Tavush region.

It turns out, some of the territorial superiority that Azeri government has been claiming lately, might have been referred to the borders they pushed forward at the expense of Georgian land, near the 3-way border region.

Two areas where Azerbaijan violated the Georgian borders are near Babaqyar (Papaqar) and "Red Bridge" Georgian customs point. The latter is further away from the Armenian border and allows Azerbaijan to monitor only the nearby Georgian territories. Some of these Georgian lands were invaded by Azerbaijan during the 2008 turmoil when Georgia was weakened from the war against Russia in Ossethia. Azerbaijan planted land mines in these areas with a fear that during an AM-AZ war the Armenian army could use these territories to attack Azerbaijan.

This adds to the tension caused by the Azeri claims over a bordering Georgian monastery of Davit Gareja.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/986505.html

https://factor.am/179447.html

Euro2020: Armenia vs Italy in September 5th. The tickets sold out in a week.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168442

Armenian soccerer Aras Ozbilis will move from Turkish Besiktas to Armenian Pyunik.

Pyunik has also contracted Dmitry Sichov, a popular former player of Russian national team, who earlier quit soccer.

https://factor.am/179433.html

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/986504.html

When Arsenal finally hired a mathematician earlier this year, they realized they pay too much to keep Mehmet Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (top earners). Arsenal begun looking for buyers.

Today, Henrikh was transferred to the Italian Roma for a 1-year trial period, for €15mln. The midfielder is 30 years old. He played 59 matches and scored 9 goals. He'll earn €3.5mln/year, three times less than in Arsenal.

"I'm very happy about the transfer", said Miki. The Italian media came to meet him at the airport.

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168455

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168463

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168466

https://armtimes.com/hy/article/168467

Grazie

You have a package from George Soros

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzdgBp0Me90

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Link to original report: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/cyuhso/news_from_armenia_sep22019_investigators_vs/