David Stepanyan, Yerevan, exclusively to VK
The report on the costs of the state budget in 2012 presented on June 13 by the Control Chamber (CC) of Armenia in the parliament was the cause of a government scandal. Starting the report, the head of the Communist Party Ishkhan Zakarian said that in many areas the situation from year to year remains unchanged, highlighting egregious cases of embezzlement of public funds in the fields of urban planning and public procurement. The apogee of the speech by Zakarian was his assertion that as much as 70% of the state budget is at risk...
After this report the issue of sending to the Prosecutor General materials relating to the violations documented in the report of the CC 2012 was the subject of extensive discussion and requirements of MPs, NGOs and human rights activists to send to the General Prosecutor's Office under the criminal law violations in the areas of urban development and road construction.
It is noteworthy that the Zakarian has not yet addressed to the Prosecutor General in connection with the identified numerous violations of his department. Meanwhile, under the relevant article of the law, CC, as an independent government agency, may, on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, address the court as plaintiff or defendant and can send to the Prosecutor General's Office protocols and reports produced in the course of supervision, if there is a suspicion of criminal acts.
Given the lack of relevant application to the Prosecutor General after 12 days following the report by Zakarian, there are strong doubts about the impartiality of CC’s actions, which clearly serves a tool in the hands of the ruling party. Suspecting the opposition of this is clearly not reasonable, given that the latter is highly attenuated and practically pushed out of the political process. Under the conditions of existence of the nominal opposition the motivation of actions of the CC head should be sought only within the framework of the struggle within the ruling elite. At the same time, paradoxically, the weakness of the opposition, in turn, weakened the power of vigilance, instilling it a false sense of permissiveness.
The fact that the content of the report was in the hands of the prime minister and became the subject of the next meeting of the government proves that this issue is painful for the current cabinet. Tigran Sarkisyan has said that he is personally very interested in the immediate submission to the law enforcement authorities of all of the facts revealed by the Control Chamber. However, Sarkisyan expressed his opposition to the "excess of CC’s powers and its political assessments." In his opinion, the CC has no right to make political statements, that, he says, is solely the function of the National Assembly and the executive branch.
It is obvious that by questioning the efficiency of spending public funds, the head of CC stepped on Sarkisian’s toes, raising doubts about the effectiveness of his cabinet, which has already become a political assessment, not to mention its possible political consequences. As a result, the prime minister attributed Zakarian's statement on exposure to risks of corruption of 70% of the state budget "to every member of the government in the audience," instructing that no charge will be left unanswered.
It is noteworthy that after listening to the latest news from Ishkhan Zakarian, Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan invited to send immediately all the abuses identified by CC to the General Prosecutor's Office. Abrahamyan also asked the Prime Minister to dismiss "all those who rob and devour the state budget", however, not agreeing with the fact that there is a systematic robbery.
The Republican Speaker was also incredibly surprised to hear about the many abuses uncovered by CC, assuring the public that the head of the Republican Party, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, offering the position to someone, "does not call them by taking this position to plunder the people's money". "I'm surprised, because we do not have an agreement to occupy the post of the minister or the governor and looting", Abrahamyan said.
Thus, the issues relating to this latest dark history are numerous, and first of all to the debunker and bribery fighter Ishkhan Zakarian who over the past 9 months built a mansion costing millions of dollars. In reality, the report of the Control Chamber displays a map of economic crimes in Armenia, which allows to collect dossiers, including on millionaires sitting in parliament.
The wondering Abrahamyan himself in 20 years of being in public office has become one of the largest property owners in Armenia. He owns thousands of acres of orchards and vineyards in the Ararat region, processors, large financial assets. And this list can be extended indefinitely. As a result, Armenia can be considered a classic modern country where 99% of the proceeds are disposed among only 1% of the population, while the remaining 99% live on loans, from paycheck to paycheck, at the mercy of the banks and the wealthy employers.
In this sense, it is noteworthy that until now protesters in the Armenian political demands put forward only demands for change of government and the rule of tyranny. In this case, the root of the problem remained on the sidelines, although it is more than obvious that the usurpation of power in Armenia was made possible precisely by the unjust distribution of national wealth. And just today, the public openly wondered main question - how the current government got public assets previously owned by the whole of society? Taron Margaryan, Ruben Hayrapetyan, Vardan Ayvazyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan are forced to report how they earned their millions. And the statement by Ishkhan Zakarian that 70% of the Armenian budget are in the area of corruption risk is just the tip of the iceberg of contradictions in this pyramid.
And the main conclusion is on the surface: another redistribution of property will come to Armenia when the oligarchs who do not manage to "prove their rights" have to give up part of their loot in favor of ... the other oligarchs. Given the amorphous nature of opposition and the public, expecting the invoice to all oligarchs and demands for the nationalization of illegally captured national assets is not necessary.
