The authorities have once again presented figures on the recovery of loot from former officials – this time $773 million in property and funds returned over the past eight years, wrote Mesrop Arakelyan, co-founder of the “Land to Live” party.

“Let us set aside the fact that the overwhelming majority of the recovered assets consist of real estate, which in practice has a zero impact on the state budget, and try to understand how much the former authorities actually looted.

In 1998-2017, the total amount of state budgets totaled about $39 billion, which in today’s terms would amount to approximately $170 billion. In other words, the returned property and funds account for only about 0.5% of the total budgets during the 20 years of the former authorities’ rule.

When we see how former officials continue to expand their businesses during Nikol Pashinyan’s rule and enjoy their lives, it becomes clear that the return of the loot is not a reality but yet another unfulfilled promise.

The return of the loot will happen – including the looting committed and still being committed during Nikol Pashinyan’s rule,” Arakelyan wrote.

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