ARMENIAN LEADER WANTS BUSINESSMEN BE BARRED FROM PUBLIC POSTS – AIDE
Aravot
Feb 26 2009
Armenia
A top economic adviser to the Armenian president has said that
holding top governmental offices by tycoons damages both the
government interests and the business environment, in addition,
it is unconstitutional.
In an interview with Armenian daily Aravot published on 26 February,
Vahram Nersisyants says that this poses a serious problem for
Armenia. When a rich businessman also holds an office "his loyalty
and efforts are shifted from serving the government towards their
[own] businesses," Nersisyants said.
But it also damages the business environment as they use their
power to set unequal conditions and push out their competitors from
the markets, Nersisyants added. He says the Armenian constitution
contains three articles barring businessmen from getting to public
offices, and because the wording of those articles was too mild
in the 1995 constitution, they were toughened by the amendments
made in 2005. However, the constitution is not taken heed of it,
Nersisyants said.
He explains that this is due to the fact that many state officials
hide the fact they are engaged in private businesses by registering
their companies under names of their relatives while they, in fact,
continue to manage their companies personally. He says this results
in a situation where the law enforcers do not have enough proof of
an official doing business.
But often state officials go public and speak about their businesses,
Nersisyants says, and this is enough evidence of them being engaged
in private businesses. Nersisyants also complains that not only
the government but also the opposition does not raise the issue
seriously. In conclusion, Nersisyants says that Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan is currently trying to initiate new tougher rules so
that businessmen get lower changes to get to public offices.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
