Corruption, Presidential Elections, Tax Service

Global Corruption Survey Finds No Improvement In Armenia>>>By Anna Saghabalian>>>>>>Endemic government corruption in Armenia has not decreased in the>>>past year despite Armenian leaders' assurances they are addressing>>>the problem in earnest, according to an annual global survey released>>>by an international anti-graft watchdog on Wednesday.>>>>>>The Berlin-based Transparency International again rated countries of>>>the world on a 10-point scale, with zero indicating an extremely high>>>degree of corruption as perceived by experts, entrepreneurs and>>>ordinary citizens.>>>>>>Armenia and five other states ranked 99th out of 180 nations covered>>>by Transparency International's 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index. It>>>was assigned a score of 3.0, faring slightly worse than it did in the>>>previous CPI released one year ago. The score is based on seven>>>corruption-related surveys conducted in Armenia by other>>>organizations, including the World Bank.>>>>>>Armenia was again judged to be less corrupt that most other ex-Soviet>>>states, including Russia and Azerbaijan. The latter occupies 150th>>>place in the rankings. By contrast, Armenia's other ex-Soviet>>>neighbor, Georgia, jumped to 79th place, having seen its CPI score>>>rise from 2.9 to 3.4.>>>>>>Amalia Kostanian, head of Transparency's Armenian affiliate, the>>>Center for Regional Development (CRD), said the findings of the>>>latest survey are a further indication of a lack of progress in the>>>Armenian government's stated anti-corruption efforts. She said those>>>efforts have proved ineffectual because of their heavy emphasis on>>>legal amendments and what she called a lack of government commitment>>>to rule of law.>>>>>>Kostanian argued that prosecution of senior government officials on>>>corruption charges remain extremely rare. `Risks involved in corrupt>>>practices remain very low,' she told reporters.>>>>>>The government unveiled in late 2003 and claims to have successfully>>>implemented a three-year plan of actions aimed at tackling bribery>>>and other corrupt practices. However, there is little evidence that>>>the set of mainly legislative measures has had a major impact on the>>>situation on the ground.>>>>>>Earlier this year, Kostanian resigned from a government body>>>monitoring the program's implementation in protest against its>>>perceived inactivity. The resignation followed the publication of a>>>CRD opinion poll which found that nearly two-thirds of Armenians>>>believe that corruption has actually increased in recent years.>>>>>>In a December 2006 interview with RFE/RL, the late Prime Minister>>>Andranik Markarian admitted that his government's anti-corruption>>>drive has not been `as effective as we hoped.' He said Yerevan will>>>ask Western donors to help it draw up a new strategy that will>>>`ascertain mechanisms for putting the [anti-graft] legislative>>>framework into practice.' It is not clear if his successor, Serzh>>>Sarkisian, intends to do that.>>>>>>>>>Ter-Petrosian Will Run For President, Say Allies>>>By Astghik Bedevian>>>>>>Political allies of Levon Ter-Petrosian were confident on Wednesday>>>that Armenia's former president will after all decide to participate>>>in the approaching presidential elections. They also brushed aside>>>President Robert Kocharian's warning that Ter-Petrosian should stay>>>away from politics or face renewed scrutiny of his controversial>>>track record.>>>>>>`Levon Ter-Petrosian's nomination [as a presidential candidate] is>>>irreversible. That is, it will definitely happen,' said Ararat>>>Zurabian, chairman of the Armenian Pan-National Movement (HHSh), the>>>former ruling party of the ex-president is the unofficial top leader.>>>>>>`As the first president said, he has not yet made a final decision>>>[to contest the vote,]' Zurabian told reporters. `But I believe>>>things are moving towards that decision.'>>>>>>In his first public speech in nearly a decade, Ter-Petrosian told>>>hundreds of supporters that he has still not decided whether to seek>>>a return to power. Still, his blistering attack on Armenia's `corrupt>>>and criminal' leadership prompted suggestions that he is leaning>>>towards a presidential run.>>>>>>Aram Sarkisian, whose radical opposition Hanrapetutyun party also>>>strongly backs Ter-Petrosian, made a similar point in an interview>>>with RFE/RL. He claimed that Ter-Petrosian, who led Armenia to>>>independence in 1991, is popular enough to return to power.>>>>>>`Our contacts with the public show that a huge section of Armenia's>>>population thinks that if a prudent, pragmatic person like Ter->>>Petrosian ... decides to stand, he will win,' said Sarkisian. `I am>>>convinced that the day after the statement by the first president [on>>>his nomination] scores of people will converge on the Yerevan square>>>with flags,' he added.>>>>>>Kocharian on Tuesday rejected Ter-Petrosian's accusations and warned>>>that his predecessor will become an `ordinary opposition politician'>>>and risk a barrage of criticism if he chooses to stand in the>>>presidential ballot. He said Armenians would be `reminded' of many>>>shortcomings which they still associate with Ter-Petrosian's>>>1990-1998 rule.>>>>>>`All questions will get appropriate answers,' commented Zurabian.>>>>>>`If they thought that their predecessors committed crimes they were>>>obliged to go to court and hold those people accountable,' Sarkisian>>>said for his part.>>>>>>Both the HHSh and Hanrapetutyun regard Ter-Petrosian as the only>>>politician capable of thwarting a planned handover of power from>>>Kocharian to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian. They hope that other>>>major opposition groups will also rally around the ex-president. But>>>so far only one of them, the People's Party (HZhK) of Stepan>>>Demirchian, has been ready to consider doing that.>>>>>>Demirchian, who was Kocharian's main challenger in the last>>>presidential election, denied on Wednesday some Ter-Petrosian>>>associates' claims that his endorsement of the ex-president is a>>>forgone conclusion. `As long as the first president has not announced>>>his nomination, the HZhK can not decide to support him,' he told RFE/RL.>>>>>>Still, Demirchian made it clear that he has a high regard for Ter->>>Petrosian while agreeing with much of the criticism of Armenia's>>>former leadership. `Let us not forget that the country was at war>>>then,' he said. `There were mistakes, very negative phenomena,>>>manifestations of irresponsibility and impunity. But those negative>>>phenomena are now much more deeply rooted in our life.'>>>>>>>>>ROBERT KOCHARIAN: SHADOW ECONOMY HUGE>>>Panorama.am>>>20:43 26/09/2007>>>>>>Today President Robert Kocharian met with the leadership of the>>>country's tax service. Official information has it that the president>>>announced that the purpose of the meeting was to discover whether the>>>tax officials are able to solve problems they face, and if so by what>>>means, and what assistance they might expect.>>>>>>President Kocharian rates the most important issue to be the general>>>improvement of the work of the state tax service. "Tax statistics>>>should correspond to economic growth," he underlined. In the>>>president's opinion, the shadow economy in Armenia remains large, with>>>people doing their best to avoid tax officials and taxes in general.>>>>>>Pointing out that the issues facing the tax officials are not>>>unsolvable, the country's leader said that good results would>>>immediately be seen with the end of the shadow economy. "There are>>>serious resources available, it's just that officials must work>>>honestly, decisively," he emphasized.>>>>>>Vahram Barseghyan, head of the state tax service, presented the work>>>being done as well as problems they are currently facing. Concluding>>>the meeting, the president stressed the need for positive change and>>>reform in the tax bodies, and said that solving the problems they>>>face should remain at the center of their attention.>>>>>>Robert Kocharian assigned a supervisorial agency to report every ten>>>days as to progress being made.