YEREVAN—Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday said that he is stunned and shocked over the revelations about the level of corruption in Armenia as various cases continue to unfold across Armenia.
Pashinyan was referencing recent reports by Armenia’s National Security Service that include widespread embezzlement of funds from members affiliated with the previous regime, including allegation of grand theft, tax evasion, attempted murder, some of which have been waged against relatives of former president Serzh Sarkisian.
“I am simply stunned over the information I have received,” Pashinyan told a press conference Friday. “Today I am shocked over the levels of corruption in Armenia.”
Friday’s press conference that lasted more than two and a half hours covered a wide-range of topics, including the Karabakh conflict resolution process and Pashinyan’s reiteration of his assertion that a resolution to the conflict cannot be reached without the participation of Artsakh in the talks.
“This [the level of corruption] is simply unimaginable,” he said. “My harshest speech about corruption ridiculously pales in comparison to the sheer volume of [corruption] which has taken place in Armenia, and is taking place. This is absolutely terrible,” Pashinyan said, adding that since he took office on May 8, he continues being surprised and stunned from the daily reports he receives on the matter.
Pashinyan predicted that such surprising revelation will continue to pour in for another four months, saying that he refuses to believe some of the allegations until concrete evidence is presented to him and new information trickles in.
He claimed that during a recent briefing on corruption cases he was forced to ask officials to stop giving him information. “I’m not ready,” he said “to receive so much information in one day and I want to preserve my mental well-being.”
Pashinyan, whose campaign against his predecessor hinged on promises to fight corruption by the previous regimes, said that while he was well-aware of the lawlessness, he just did not imagine the extent to which some had gone to enrich themselves.
“Imagine a country where the Prime Minister is being shocked every day. It is the same Prime Minister who has constantly called out during his political and journalistic career that the country is being plundered, that there is corruption, lawlessness,” said Pashinyan.
He said until being presented with the evidence he refused “to believe that people can be obscene to such a degree and in sectors where one would not have imagined,” he added.
Shocked really??
We are thousands of miles away from Armenia and we have know for decades how our nation is being raped & pillaged by the crime families ruling Armenia.
Tell us how does a person like Gago, a former wrestler & arm wrestler end up with controlling Ararat brandy company? We know for a fcat he never paid a single dram/.cent for it
Now Gago is pretending he is supporting reform…
Unless there is a massive purge of grand proportions and investigations to unravel the rape & plunder of our nation wealth then Nikol will only be able to target the underlings & cronies of sarigisyn, koicharian, gago and other disgusting crimiminals like our cureent Godless karekin 11 who is a stooge for the crime families
But its a good start
Armenia must follow Singapore’s example and enact severe anti-corruption laws. This is the only way out of a Soviet style form of governance. This is the only way to economic prosperity.
EVERY CORRUPT ARMENIAN OFFICIAL MUST BE TRIED FOR TREASON!!!! THEY HAVE BETRAYED THEIR PEOPLE AND DESTROYED THE NATION!!!
DISGUSTING!
SHAMEFUL!
PATHETIC!
It’s all shameful, I was brought up as an Armenian and was told one day we will be proud and free nation again, as a childhood till now never i thought any Armenian could do any harm to our Armenian and all would stand together for the better of our land and for each other.
PM Pashinyan you are one that I thought all Armenians would and should be.
Thank you PM Pashinyan I wish you the greatest strength to carry on your duties that you willingly have taken on your shoulders and let this be an example to and every Armenian.
This is what Armenia needs more than anything else!
the biggest criminal are the kocharian the sarkisian and all the leach aroud them sir mister pasha nyan. nail them .. give them a room in jail.thank you sir
For the sake of Armenia’s stability, it’s better to concentrate on the future than the past, Pashinyan can’t pretend to be shocked, since everybody knew what was going on, here starts politician BS.