DEPUTY OF OPPOSITIONAL BLOC CHARGED CUSTOM SERVICE OF RA WITH LARGE-SCALE EMBEZZLEMENT AND EXTORTION

Yerevan, April 6. ArmInfo. At today’s press-conference in the
Armenia’s Parliament, the deputy of the “Justice” oppositional bloc
Tatul Manaseryan charged the country’s Custom Service with large-scale
embezzlement and extortion.

He mentioned, particularly, that according to the Custom Service data,
the volumes of petrol import to Armenia have reduced twice since 1998,
while a number automobiles in the republic increased twice and petrol
limits for state officers – 2,5 times for the same period. Manaseryan
assured that the state budget did not count up about $55 mln as
a result of machinations of custom officials in the sphere petrol
import. However, Manaseryan did not indicated the dynamics in the
import of a liquefied gas which has lately become too popular at the
Armenian drivers.

Tatul Manaseryan especially noted the custom officials actions related
to the coffee importers, having characterized it as a demonstration of
the officials’ arbitrariness. According to him, the “Royal Armenia”
Company had to pay dues which double exceed the custom fees from the
Company’s competitors for the same product, as a result of refusal
to pay bribe to the Custom Service. Manaseryan called illegal the
preliminary confinement of the director of “Royal Armenia” Gagik
Akopyan and the deputy director Aram Kazaryan in the National Security
Service (NSS), having emphasized that groundlessness of accusations
of A. Kazaryan in organizing attempts at the Custom Service Head was
proved. Manaseryan addressed to the Armenia’s Prosecutor General, the
Service of Presidential Control and the Parliament’s Control Palace
with a letter of inquiry. “If no answer follows, I intend to address
to the National Security Service with a letter”, Manaseryan said.

According to the deputy, the “Transparency International” fixed
growth of bribes in Armenia, especially among custom officers, tax
officers and the judicial authority representatives. Calculations
of the World Bank experts certify that 46 drams from each 100 drams,
paid to the custom Service by the Armenian importers and exporters,
are a bribe. As a whole, the damage from the Custom Service abuses
is estimated of 1,5% of GDP in Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress