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Wealthy civil servants growing in Armenia

29 October 2014 [18:30] - TODAY.AZ

/AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

While Armenia's legislation strictly calls on civil servants not to get engaged in business, Levon Arazyan, a court judge has violated the law by organizing a business network.

Hetq, a partner of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, revealed that the court judge of Ararat and Vayots Dzor regions has additional sources of revenue other than his main profession. Local people in those regions said the statesman owns numerous businesses which he has registered under his relatives' names.

They urge that a night club named "Black Angel" in Artashat town reportedly belongs to Arazyan. Moreover, a two-storey beauty salon Ri Ki belongs to the judge's wife Karineh Mikayelyan. Arazyan's business greediness is not limited to the mentioned centers as he owns a drugstore just next to the beauty salon.

As a judge, Arazyan is supposed to be the guardian of justice. Nonetheless, a seduction of fortune puts his image in doubt as he expanded the business initially with an auto repair shop in Artashat. The Nersik Production Cooperative locating on an one-hectare area is also owned by the judge. Arazyan has also registered several hectares of areas in Artashat under his father's name.

Artashat Municipality said these businesses and lands were all in tax arrears. Arazyan's illegal business activity breached the tax regulations with about $1,500 unpaid taxes in total.

Armenia is reportedly a poor country with a disabled economy and unstable financial atmosphere based on WEF, IMF and World Bank data. Analysts predict an Asian type of population for the country since a certain group of people is making huge fortunes on the backdrop of about 1.2 million malnourished residents.

Meanwhile, Armenian police chief's main advisor and a member of the Council of Justice Grigor Badiryan is reportedly among the main business owners. Badiryan owns about 65 percent share of Baktek Eco Ltd. Company. He is also Armenia's Honorary Consul to Belgium.

Baktek Eco Ltd. is engaged in production activities in the Ardjoud gold mine which is located in 12 kilometers northwest of the town of Vanadzor on the left bank of the Pampak River.

The World Bank Data reports that around 32.4 percent of Armenians live under the recognized poverty line. The share of the Gross National Income in the country is reportedly $3.79 per capita. Residents of the post-Soviet country are unable to live a well-provided life since the average monthly salary is only $360.

The facts about civil servants' business engagements in Armenia have turned into a regular event. Official declarations have earlier revealed the names of 19 millionaire MPs in Armenia's National Assembly. Political figures in the face of Gagik Tsarukyan, Samvel Aleksanyan, Manvel Grigoryan, Armine Nagdalyan, Avet Adonts and others are "creme de la creme" in the post-Soviet state. They are sleeping with huge money under their pillows, unaware of conditions of their 1.4 million absolutely poor compatriots. USGAM, a Center for International Strategy and Security Studies, reported that over 200,000 Armenians beg in the streets in a hope to hear the sound of a coin dropping into their cans.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/137272.html

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