“Zhoghovurd” newspaper writes.

Hayk Konjoryan announced from the NA podium on August 3 that the salary of his wife, the director of HayPost, is the lowest in the company’s history. “Zhoghovurd” tried to verify that statement by sending a direct request to “HayPost”. The answer is remarkable. the company gave us the names and terms of office of all directors over the past 20 years, but the company did not provide any salary information.

In other words, “HayPost”, represented by the director Shushan Aleksanyan, is ready to tell the public who managed the company in the past 20 years, but is not ready to say how much these managers were paid. Meanwhile, “Zhoghovurd” daily newspaper asked about very specific things: the directors’ salaries for the last 20 years, their changes, bonuses, bonuses and other monetary payments.

According to the answer of “HayPost”, the salary is personal data, therefore, it cannot be provided without the consent of the employee.

But this is where the main question begins. If Hayk Konjoryan’s public statement refers to the lowest salary in the history of “HayPost”, how should the public verify that statement? Konjoryan did not speak about it in the kitchen of his house, but from the podium of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. And the “lowest salary” is a factual claim, which implies a comparison with the salaries of previous positions in the company.

But how can we compare, if only the company has the information about the salary of the former directors.

Let’s emphasize that “Zhoghovurd” previously also applied to “HayPost” and the Ministry of BTA to find out the amount of salary of Hayk Konjoryan’s wife, but this information was kept as a state secret.

However, there is an important difference here. we have not requested any employee’s health, family or other intimate information. The question refers to the amount paid for work, and already from the state budget, and its comparison with the remuneration of the former managers of “HayPost”.

The Freedom of Information Law provides for restrictions on access to information, including for the purpose of protecting the privacy of personal and family life. But the same law also regulates the right to receive information from public organizations.

This is a matter of specific public interest, because Shushan Aleksanyan, the head of “HayPost”, receives a monthly salary of 3.4 million drams or about 10 thousand dollars from the state CJSC, and the public should receive its justification. But no number. No calculation. Not comparative. Just a long list of laws and that’s it.

What happens? The head of “HayPost”, Shushan Aleksanyan, transfers the information about the salary of former directors and his own salary, which he considers personal data, exclusively to his husband, Hayk Konjoryan, who was elected as the deputy speaker of the National Assembly by official votes. That is, the personal secret, which is related even to the former directors, a secret for the husband of the head of “HayPost”.

This is the case when state, public interest was mixed with personal, family interest, which is a matter under the jurisdiction of the Corruption Prevention Commission.

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