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CONTROL QUESTIONS: RE-APPOINTMENT OF CHAMBER CHAIR RAISES ISSUE OF CORRUPTION
Society | 07.11.13 | 15:09
Photolure
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter
President Serzh Sargsyan suggested to the parliament that Ishkhan
Zakaryan be re-appointed as the chairman of the Control Chamber of
Armenia, as his first term in that position expired November 5.
Law-makers will discuss Zarkaryan's candidacy on November 7, and if
approved the appointment would take place during the upcoming four-day
sitting of the parliament.
Zakaryan's nomination was questioned after the Control Chamber (CC)
submitted to the parliament its report on budget misuses, which was
later criticized by the president.
Introducing the report on state procurement, Zakaryan stated that
the state is paying manifold of the market prices when procuring
products and services, and brought separate examples. In reference
to the state procurement tenders, he claimed they were manipulated
in accordance with certain pre-arrangements.
Zakaryan gave another glaring example of how the agency implementing
judicial and legal programs for compiling the feasibility reports
on organizing a global judicial network signed a contract with a
consortium consisting of an American company and an Armenian firm for
a sum equivalent of 545,000 euros (more than $727,000). But then it
turned out that the bulk of the sum was transferred to the U.S.
company (which the Chamber cannot audit), and the Armenian company,
whose experts were to implement this program, got no money. It is
unclear what the American company spent that money for.
Zakaryan's revelations that taxpayers' money is pocketed by
bureaucratic systems surprised, as they said, many of the ruling
Republicans, among them speaker Hovik Abrahamyan. Oppositional Armenian
National Congress MP Nikol Pashinyan demanded explanation from the
CC chairman on where he had gotten money to complete the construction
of his multi-million dollar mansion over the previous nine months.
"Mister Zakaryan's biography and the fact that he owns a mansion
worth several million dollars, can't help but evoke thoughts about
corruption risks. I am astonished by the courage with which Mr.
Zakaryan, with a serious posture from the parliament rostrum,
reported about the misappropriations committed by others. They too
are building mansions, just like him, and many more would dream,
or can't even afford dreaming of having one like his," said Pashinyan.
Zakaryan's political career started during the tenure of Armenia's
second president Robert Kocharyan, when he was appointed as the
chairman of Armenia's National Olympic Committee. He then joined
(Kocharyan-founded) Prosperous Armenia party and became CC chairman
by his party's coalitional quota.
The Control Chamber, an independent control body as provided for
by the Constitution, monitors and identifies violations and money
misappropriation at ministries and state departments, under the
leadership of representatives of the political force in power.
So far, only Vazgen Khachikyan, head of social affairs and labor
ministry's state service of social welfare, has been held criminally
liable for the abuse of power, based on the CC report.
Zakaryan's six-year term (since 2007) came to an end on November 5. CC
chairman is appointed for six years, the same person is not eligible
to hold the position for more than two consecutive terms.
http://armenianow.com/society/49865/armenia_control_chamber_ishkhan_zakaryan_appointme nt
Society | 07.11.13 | 15:09
Photolure
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter
President Serzh Sargsyan suggested to the parliament that Ishkhan
Zakaryan be re-appointed as the chairman of the Control Chamber of
Armenia, as his first term in that position expired November 5.
Law-makers will discuss Zarkaryan's candidacy on November 7, and if
approved the appointment would take place during the upcoming four-day
sitting of the parliament.
Zakaryan's nomination was questioned after the Control Chamber (CC)
submitted to the parliament its report on budget misuses, which was
later criticized by the president.
Introducing the report on state procurement, Zakaryan stated that
the state is paying manifold of the market prices when procuring
products and services, and brought separate examples. In reference
to the state procurement tenders, he claimed they were manipulated
in accordance with certain pre-arrangements.
Zakaryan gave another glaring example of how the agency implementing
judicial and legal programs for compiling the feasibility reports
on organizing a global judicial network signed a contract with a
consortium consisting of an American company and an Armenian firm for
a sum equivalent of 545,000 euros (more than $727,000). But then it
turned out that the bulk of the sum was transferred to the U.S.
company (which the Chamber cannot audit), and the Armenian company,
whose experts were to implement this program, got no money. It is
unclear what the American company spent that money for.
Zakaryan's revelations that taxpayers' money is pocketed by
bureaucratic systems surprised, as they said, many of the ruling
Republicans, among them speaker Hovik Abrahamyan. Oppositional Armenian
National Congress MP Nikol Pashinyan demanded explanation from the
CC chairman on where he had gotten money to complete the construction
of his multi-million dollar mansion over the previous nine months.
"Mister Zakaryan's biography and the fact that he owns a mansion
worth several million dollars, can't help but evoke thoughts about
corruption risks. I am astonished by the courage with which Mr.
Zakaryan, with a serious posture from the parliament rostrum,
reported about the misappropriations committed by others. They too
are building mansions, just like him, and many more would dream,
or can't even afford dreaming of having one like his," said Pashinyan.
Zakaryan's political career started during the tenure of Armenia's
second president Robert Kocharyan, when he was appointed as the
chairman of Armenia's National Olympic Committee. He then joined
(Kocharyan-founded) Prosperous Armenia party and became CC chairman
by his party's coalitional quota.
The Control Chamber, an independent control body as provided for
by the Constitution, monitors and identifies violations and money
misappropriation at ministries and state departments, under the
leadership of representatives of the political force in power.
So far, only Vazgen Khachikyan, head of social affairs and labor
ministry's state service of social welfare, has been held criminally
liable for the abuse of power, based on the CC report.
Zakaryan's six-year term (since 2007) came to an end on November 5. CC
chairman is appointed for six years, the same person is not eligible
to hold the position for more than two consecutive terms.
http://armenianow.com/society/49865/armenia_control_chamber_ishkhan_zakaryan_appointme nt