214 CORRUPTION CRIMES DETECTED IN JAN-NOV 2008

ARKA
Dec 1, 2008

YEREVAN, December 1. /ARKA/. Two hundred and fourteen corruption
crimes had been detected in Armenia by November 26, 2008, – a 2.7-fold
increase as compared with the corresponding period last year (79).

Speaking at a conference on the prevention, detection and investigation
of corruption crimes, Vice-Chief of the RA Police, Chief of the
Head Investigation Department, Gagik Hambartsumyan reported that 115
(55.6%) of the crimes were detected by the police, with 37 of them
by the Head Department for Organized Crime Control.

Hambartsumyan reported that 40 cases of bribery were detected this
January-November against three cases in the corresponding period
last year.

Eight of the 40 cases involved commercial bribery.

Nineteen cases of misappropriation and embezzlement, 15 cases of
abuse of office, and 45 other corruption crimes were registered this
January-November.

Despite considerable progress, the battle against corruption is far
from being satisfactory, Hambartsumyan said.

"It is no secret that they are latent crimes, and the battle
against them requirement of involvement of health forces both of
the law-enforcement and government agencies and of the public,"
he said.