“Every citizen should be able to see that there is fight against corruption just walking down the street. When I walk down the streets and see an official’s mansion or the areas expanded by a government official I feel like the fight against corruption is not efficient,” said the President of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association (AYLA), the Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Anti-Corruption Coalition Karen Zadoyan at the meeting with members of the CSOs Anti-Corruption Coalition which took place in Vanadzor on 22.09.2015.

He brought the example of Singapore where every citizen walks down the streets acknowledging the fact that there is a real struggle against corruption and the country is developing, that due to the fight the funds are spent effectively towards the well-being of the country.

Some days ago Mr. Karen Zadoyan and the AYLA Executive Director Mr. Artak Saribekyan participated in the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Today, they are passing on the experience and news obtained during the conference to the representatives of the member organizations of the Coalition.

K. Zadoyan said that at this conference, which is organized once in 2 years, all the world leaders distinguished in the fight against corruption get together to discuss the existing problems in the field and further activities. “The following idea was emphasized at all of the plenary sessions and workshops of this year’s conference: The elimination of the possibility that people involved in corruption procedures can get away with impunity,” said Mr Zadoyan.

In the framework of the conference Karen Zadoyan had meetings with the leadership and representatives of the independent anti-corruption bodies of Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, etc. He presented them with the Armenian experience in the field of fight against corruption and learned about the experience of these countries.

“Deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, who was also the President of the Organizing Committee of the conference asked who was the president of the RA Anti-Corruption Council. I answered: The Prime Minister. He could hardly hide the smile on his face and said that the fight against corruption will never prove successful that way,” said Karen Zadoyan. He also noted that in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong that have had big achievements in fight against corruption, the guarantees of the efficient work of the independent anti-corruption bodies are the laws and the power of civil society. He recalled that before the opening of the conference great protests began in Malaysia demanding that the Prime Minister of the country did not attend the conference devoted to the fight against corruption since he was deeply involved in corruption himself. As a result, the Prime Minister was not present at the conference.

“I understood that the independent anti-corruption body is a serious mechanism that ensures real fight against corruption,” added Karen Zadoyan.

He also noted that nowadays great importance is ascribed to investigative journalism and professional monitoring in the fight against corruption.

Iravaban.net