Unless the illicit enrichment is not criminalized, nothing may be said about the effectiveness of the fight against corruption. The civil society and media organizations must join to the fight against it as well.
The Armenian Young Lawyers Association in cooperation with its partner Freedom of Information Center continues organizing awareness seminars in marzes about the “Multi-Faceted Anti-Corruption Promotion” project. This time the seminar was organized for the civil society organizations of Shirak and Aragatsotn marzes.
“As you know we had a national program of struggle against corruption, which has been completed. The new program is in the development process yet and we believe that the civil society organizations will have a more significant input in it,” Mr. Karen Zadoyan, President of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association, “Multi-Faceted Anti-Corruption Promotion” Project Manger said.
It is planned to organize anti-corruption training for the CSOs and media organizations in the framework of “Multi-Faceted Anti-Corruption Promotion” project․ Further the CSOs and media organizations that have completed the training will have the opportunity to participate in tenders for small grants to undertake monitoring, watchdog activities and journalistic investigations; create the CSOs’ anti-corruption coalition aimed to establish a dialogue with the government on the establishment of the independent anti-corruption body and on criminalization of the illicit enrichment.
“In recent years the political leadership in Armenia has regularly expressed readiness to fight corruption, including in public statements,” Mr. Alessandro Zanotta, International Aid/Cooperation Officer of the Delegation of European Union in Armenia said.
Mr. Samvel Grigoryan, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of Shirak Governor’s Office greeted the participants in the name of Shirak Governor. Representatives of a number of NGOs noted that the annual declarations of property and income of the high ranking officials in Armenia represent there monetary assets rather than the property. However in reality they have more income and more property, “which in most cases are registered in the names of their mothers-in-law.” It is necessary to direct the activities to achieve general declaration of property.
The European Union supported “Multi-Faceted Anti-Corruption Promotion” was launched in 2014 and will last till the end of December 2016. The project budget is 650.000 EUR.
