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ARMENIA: SCEPTICISM OVER POLICE GRAFT CHARGES
By Gayane Lazarian
Institute of War & Peace Reporting IWPR
CAUCASUS REPORTING SERVICE, No. 608
September 16, 2011
UK
Officials say arrests show they are serious about tackling corruption,
although opposition figures are not so sure.
Two senior officers in Armenia's traffic police force have been
arrested on embezzlement charges, but opposition politicians and
analysts are skeptical about the charges, with some saying they may
result from an internecine conflict within government rather than a
genuine effort to stamp out corruption.
After a month-long investigation, Margar Ohanyan, head of the traffic
police, and Stepan Karakhanyan, a battalion commander in the service,
were charged with stealing petrol and selling it for profit. They
face two to eight years in prison if convicted.
The case centres on the alleged misappropriation of petrol assigned
for police vehicles. Prosecutors allege that out of 276 tons of
fuel supplied between January and August this year, only 120 tons
were actually issued to the force. The rest was allegedly sold off,
netting a profit of more than 150,000 US dollars.
Varujan Hoktanyan, who heads the Armenian office of the anti-corruption
group Transparency International, said the arrests suggested the
classic pyramid-shaped system, in which "lower-level officials are
detained, and officials higher up should be detained later".
Hoktanyan said it would take more than just two arrests to rid the
country of corruption, which his organisation classes as "systemic"
in Armenia.
The arrests set off a wave of speculation about possible links to more
senior officials. This led Alik Sargsyan, who heads the police force,
denied any connection to the case.
"I have not conducted business with Margar Ohanyan - not ever. I
don't know who invented this or who's benefiting from it," he said.
He insisted the arrests were part of a "fight against corruption".
"It isn't news that we've launched a war on corruption - the president
issued a call for this long ago," he said. "If it comes to it, I will
not protect a friend or relative. Let them behave properly.
Involvement in this [corruption] is a crime in this country."
On August 25, President Serzh Sargsyan said the state must punish
corrupt officials. He said there were two sets of issues - the
investigation of crimes, and the judicial process, adding, "We have
problems with both these issues, and we will not tolerate these
problems any more."
Many observers have yet to be convinced that other cases will follow.
"Given the presumption of innocence, I cannot say whether the
authorities are merely pretending to combat corruption or not. This
could, of course, be the first step in the fight against corruption,
but let's see what happens next," Hoktanyan said.
Avetik Iskhanyan of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia expressed
similar doubts.
"I'm not convinced, because any fight against corruption should be
broader. Of course this will be construed as an example of the fight
against bribe-taking, but in reality it's a fight between different
groups within the state," he said.
That was also the line taken by opposition groups such as the
Heritage party.
"I am doubtful that the government has launched a war on corruption.
It's more likely that they are resolving their own internal issues
and that they decided to punish individuals who weren't obeying the
internal rules," Stepan Safaryan, who leads the Heritage faction in
parliament, said. "The system is corrupt from top to bottom."
At the same time, Safaryan said, "If this really is a message about
the fight against corruption, then it's a good thing."
Gayane Lazarian is a journalist with Armenianow.
By Gayane Lazarian
Institute of War & Peace Reporting IWPR
CAUCASUS REPORTING SERVICE, No. 608
September 16, 2011
UK
Officials say arrests show they are serious about tackling corruption,
although opposition figures are not so sure.
Two senior officers in Armenia's traffic police force have been
arrested on embezzlement charges, but opposition politicians and
analysts are skeptical about the charges, with some saying they may
result from an internecine conflict within government rather than a
genuine effort to stamp out corruption.
After a month-long investigation, Margar Ohanyan, head of the traffic
police, and Stepan Karakhanyan, a battalion commander in the service,
were charged with stealing petrol and selling it for profit. They
face two to eight years in prison if convicted.
The case centres on the alleged misappropriation of petrol assigned
for police vehicles. Prosecutors allege that out of 276 tons of
fuel supplied between January and August this year, only 120 tons
were actually issued to the force. The rest was allegedly sold off,
netting a profit of more than 150,000 US dollars.
Varujan Hoktanyan, who heads the Armenian office of the anti-corruption
group Transparency International, said the arrests suggested the
classic pyramid-shaped system, in which "lower-level officials are
detained, and officials higher up should be detained later".
Hoktanyan said it would take more than just two arrests to rid the
country of corruption, which his organisation classes as "systemic"
in Armenia.
The arrests set off a wave of speculation about possible links to more
senior officials. This led Alik Sargsyan, who heads the police force,
denied any connection to the case.
"I have not conducted business with Margar Ohanyan - not ever. I
don't know who invented this or who's benefiting from it," he said.
He insisted the arrests were part of a "fight against corruption".
"It isn't news that we've launched a war on corruption - the president
issued a call for this long ago," he said. "If it comes to it, I will
not protect a friend or relative. Let them behave properly.
Involvement in this [corruption] is a crime in this country."
On August 25, President Serzh Sargsyan said the state must punish
corrupt officials. He said there were two sets of issues - the
investigation of crimes, and the judicial process, adding, "We have
problems with both these issues, and we will not tolerate these
problems any more."
Many observers have yet to be convinced that other cases will follow.
"Given the presumption of innocence, I cannot say whether the
authorities are merely pretending to combat corruption or not. This
could, of course, be the first step in the fight against corruption,
but let's see what happens next," Hoktanyan said.
Avetik Iskhanyan of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia expressed
similar doubts.
"I'm not convinced, because any fight against corruption should be
broader. Of course this will be construed as an example of the fight
against bribe-taking, but in reality it's a fight between different
groups within the state," he said.
That was also the line taken by opposition groups such as the
Heritage party.
"I am doubtful that the government has launched a war on corruption.
It's more likely that they are resolving their own internal issues
and that they decided to punish individuals who weren't obeying the
internal rules," Stepan Safaryan, who leads the Heritage faction in
parliament, said. "The system is corrupt from top to bottom."
At the same time, Safaryan said, "If this really is a message about
the fight against corruption, then it's a good thing."
Gayane Lazarian is a journalist with Armenianow.