DAMAGE TO ARMENIA FROM CORRUPTION-RELATED OFFENCES EXCEEDS AMD 5 BILLION IN 2009

ARKA
Feb 24, 2010

YEREVAN, February 24. /ARKA/. The damage inflicted to Armenia by
corruption-related offences amounted to AMD 5 billion 320 million
582 thousand in 2009 against AMD 2 billion 143 million 272 thousand
in 2008, Armenian Deputy Prosecutor General Armen Danielyan said
Wednesday at a meeting of the prosecutor office’s board.

He said that AMD 25.4% of the damage or AMD 1 billion 351 million 690
thousand has been returned thanks to joint efforts of law enforcement
agencies.

The Prosecutor General’s Office says some 183 corruption cases were
considered by courts in 2009 against 155 in 2008.

Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan, speaking at the session,
stressed the necessity to intensify combat against graft and corruption
in law enforcement institutions.

Hovsepyan singled out the Lori province’s prosecutor office for
effective job.

Speaking about effectiveness of some agencies’ preliminary
investigations into corruption-related offences, the prosecutor
general said that, as a rule, wrongdoers are not named.

Hovsepyan instructed these agencies to take necessary steps to put
things right.

He also instructed heads of agencies to work out new mechanisms for
preventing this kind of offences. ($1= AMD 382.41).