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XPERT KTANYAN SKEPTICAL ABOUT ANTI-CORRUPTION COUNCIL'S CAPABILITY IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, March 3. /ARKA/. Varuzhan Oktanyan, head of Transparency
International Regional Development Center's Armenian Office, is
convinced that the council set up recently for combating corruption
in Armenia will be incapable.
Speaking Tuesday at a news conference, he said that this council,
just like the council set up before, will be no more than an advisory
agency though a little more crowded.
"A group of specialists and a group of monitoring will be added to
it," he said. "But to be effective this council must be independent,
but is extremely difficult to do this in Armenia."
The expert said only two seats will be allocated in this council for
nongovernmental organizations, and this will make any real discussion
impossible.
Oktanyan said that Transparency International Regional Development
Center is refraining from taking part in the council's activity so far.
Tevan Poghosyan, an MP from Heritage party, on his side, said that
any council without a real administrative resource, which will ensure
fulfillment of its decisions, will exist only on paper.
"A similar situation emerges only here - two elements, as group
of specialists and monitoring, were added, but it is not clear
unfortunately what this council will do. Will hear lectures? And what
comes next? If it acts just like the previous council, then what's
the reason of its activity?"
Marat Atovmyan, head of the Yerevan Advocacy and Assistance
(Anticorruption) Center, sharing the opinion of senselessness of this
council, said he saw no reason for establishing another anticorruption
council.
"We would support an independent anticorruption agency based on law,
if it was established in Armenia, and we have even proposed a model
for Armenia and submitted it to the government, but the government
has rejected it," he said.
On February 19, the Armenian government decided to set up another
anticorruption council headed by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan.
The council is made up of the justice minister, the finance minister,
the prosecutor general and other high-ranking officials though this
council will include also independent, as the justice minister said,
segment.
The council will be considered as main agency for the government's
crackdown on corruption.
It will discuss and adopt an anticorruption strategy and a program,
coordinate and control their implementation and submission of
appropriate proposals to appropriate agencies. ---0----
http://arka.am/en/news/society/expert_oktanyan_skeptical_about_anti_corruption_co uncil_s_capability_in_armenia_/#sthash.1tL9nuL3.dpuf
From: Baghdasarian
YEREVAN, March 3. /ARKA/. Varuzhan Oktanyan, head of Transparency
International Regional Development Center's Armenian Office, is
convinced that the council set up recently for combating corruption
in Armenia will be incapable.
Speaking Tuesday at a news conference, he said that this council,
just like the council set up before, will be no more than an advisory
agency though a little more crowded.
"A group of specialists and a group of monitoring will be added to
it," he said. "But to be effective this council must be independent,
but is extremely difficult to do this in Armenia."
The expert said only two seats will be allocated in this council for
nongovernmental organizations, and this will make any real discussion
impossible.
Oktanyan said that Transparency International Regional Development
Center is refraining from taking part in the council's activity so far.
Tevan Poghosyan, an MP from Heritage party, on his side, said that
any council without a real administrative resource, which will ensure
fulfillment of its decisions, will exist only on paper.
"A similar situation emerges only here - two elements, as group
of specialists and monitoring, were added, but it is not clear
unfortunately what this council will do. Will hear lectures? And what
comes next? If it acts just like the previous council, then what's
the reason of its activity?"
Marat Atovmyan, head of the Yerevan Advocacy and Assistance
(Anticorruption) Center, sharing the opinion of senselessness of this
council, said he saw no reason for establishing another anticorruption
council.
"We would support an independent anticorruption agency based on law,
if it was established in Armenia, and we have even proposed a model
for Armenia and submitted it to the government, but the government
has rejected it," he said.
On February 19, the Armenian government decided to set up another
anticorruption council headed by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan.
The council is made up of the justice minister, the finance minister,
the prosecutor general and other high-ranking officials though this
council will include also independent, as the justice minister said,
segment.
The council will be considered as main agency for the government's
crackdown on corruption.
It will discuss and adopt an anticorruption strategy and a program,
coordinate and control their implementation and submission of
appropriate proposals to appropriate agencies. ---0----
http://arka.am/en/news/society/expert_oktanyan_skeptical_about_anti_corruption_co uncil_s_capability_in_armenia_/#sthash.1tL9nuL3.dpuf
From: Baghdasarian