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ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MP ACCUSES THE COUNTRY'S CUSTOMS SERVICE OF LARGE-SCALE EMBEZZLEMENT AND EXTORTION
Regnum, Russia
April 6 2006
Yerevan, 6 April 2006 (Regnum - website) - MP from opposition Justice
bloc Tatul Manaseryan has accused the country's Customs Service of
large-scale embezzlement and extortion, ArmInfo reports from a news
conference held by the MP at the Armenian National Assembly on April 6.
In particular, he noted that, according to the customs, amount of
petrol imports to Armenia decreased twofold since 1998, while the
number of cars in the republic for the same period has increased
twofold for the same period, and limits of petrol usage for
governmental officials increased by 2.5 times. The opposition MP
assured that as a result of gerrymandering by customs officials,
the state budget received by $55 million less. However, Manaseryan
did not mention the dynamics of liquefied gas imports that has become
extremely popular by the Armenian drivers last years.
According to the MP, the Transparency International has registered
increase of bribery amount in Armenia, especially among customs
officials, tax officers and judicial officials. "Protectionism and
corruption threaten to investors and pose under question economic
competitiveness in Armenia," Manaseryan cited US Ambassador in Armenia
John Evans. According to Tatul Manaseryan, calculations of World Bank
experts say that from every 100 drams paid by Armenian importers and
exporters to the Custom Service, 46 dram are bribes. On the whole,
damage to from abuses by the Custom Service is estimated by the MP
as 1.5% of the Armenian GDP.
Regnum, Russia
April 6 2006
Yerevan, 6 April 2006 (Regnum - website) - MP from opposition Justice
bloc Tatul Manaseryan has accused the country's Customs Service of
large-scale embezzlement and extortion, ArmInfo reports from a news
conference held by the MP at the Armenian National Assembly on April 6.
In particular, he noted that, according to the customs, amount of
petrol imports to Armenia decreased twofold since 1998, while the
number of cars in the republic for the same period has increased
twofold for the same period, and limits of petrol usage for
governmental officials increased by 2.5 times. The opposition MP
assured that as a result of gerrymandering by customs officials,
the state budget received by $55 million less. However, Manaseryan
did not mention the dynamics of liquefied gas imports that has become
extremely popular by the Armenian drivers last years.
According to the MP, the Transparency International has registered
increase of bribery amount in Armenia, especially among customs
officials, tax officers and judicial officials. "Protectionism and
corruption threaten to investors and pose under question economic
competitiveness in Armenia," Manaseryan cited US Ambassador in Armenia
John Evans. According to Tatul Manaseryan, calculations of World Bank
experts say that from every 100 drams paid by Armenian importers and
exporters to the Custom Service, 46 dram are bribes. On the whole,
damage to from abuses by the Custom Service is estimated by the MP
as 1.5% of the Armenian GDP.