OUT OF CONTROL: CHAMBER REPORT LEADS TO ACCUSATIONS AND CONFUSING RHETORIC
NEWS | 21.06.13 | 15:31
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
This week’s revelations by the Control Chamber of Armenia are leading
the power pyramid to an internal confrontation. The three angles of the
‘Bermudian triangle’ – the parliament, the government and the Control
Chamber (CC) – keep looking for those who have squandered the state
budget, making statements addressed at their own proteges.
Parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamyan’s call to punish those “robbing”
and “guzzling” the state budget and that the prime minister has a
lot to do to make it happen, was followed by the finance ministry’s
department for financial control presenting the results of its
monitoring, pointing to violations found in Gegharkunik, Kotayk,
Ararat, and Shirak provinces, related to the state-subsidized cheap
diesel fuel provision project.
Head of the Department of Evaluation of Internal Audit and Financial
Control Sona Gharibyan says Ararat province stood out for the highest
number of violations, where 83 million drams ($207,500) damage has been
caused to the state budget. Around 65 percent of the diesel allotted
to the province’s Mkhchyan village was acquired by the same parliament
speaker’s relatives. Henrik Abrahamyan, who purchased 35,000 liters of
diesel fuel, is Hovik Abrahamyan’s brother, and Hovhannes Abrahamyan,
who bought 12,900 liters, is his nephew (brother’s son).
Gharibyan does not view Abrahamyan’s relatives’ purchase of diesel fuel
at much lower cost than its market price due to the state-subsidy as a
violation. She says the fuel is for all the residents of the province,
including Abrahamyan’s relatives.
“There is no such limitation in the government decree, and any wealthy
person might have taken advantage. The restriction was that wealthy
people can purchase up to 30-40 tons, and those villagers who have more
modest means have received the average of 500 tons,” says Gharibyan.
Later during the cabinet meeting Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
instructed the ministers to not leave unanswered any accusation voiced
by CC Chairman Ishkhan Zaqaryan against them.
“You must respond to these accusations by either refuting and preparing
material, documents to be submitted to the Prosecutor General’s
office, or publicly admit your guilt and bear the responsibility,”
said the premier.
He also stated that CC is a specialized structure and has no right to
make political statements. The parliament and the executive body of
Armenia are the ones to assess the Chamber’s disclosers. The Chamber’s
claim that 70 percent of the state budget expenditures are corrupt
and high-risk are not inaccurate, assures the premier.
In response to this CC released a statement citing Chairman Zakaryan’s
final speech at the parliament.
“CC report should never be translated into the political field and
in this respect it is absolutely unacceptable to me, I’d say more,
some parliamentarians’ choice of wording, which has nothing to do
with this report, seems bizarre to me, ” said Zakaryan.
The statement is also asking the premier to show in the submitted
report where “widespread robbery” phrase was used at all and point
to any political assessments made by them. Quite the opposite, after
resorting to certain terms and phrases, some change their mind and
try to fix it later.
Speaker Abrahamayn, after defining those robbing the state budget as
“plungers and guzzlers”, the next day declared from the parliament
rostrum that he is surprised that some people are surprised over
his surprise.
“The president of Armenia has no agreements with any minister,
governor to come to their posts and engage in abuse of power. That
is why we say that they have to be held accountable,” he said.