Robert Kocharian: Reputation of "Hayastan" All Armenian Fund is  seriously damaged because of the actions of the Armenian government

ArmInfo. Due to the actions of the Armenian government, the reputation of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is seriously affected. The second President of  the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian stated this.

He informed that on March 15 he took part in an online meeting of the  Board of Trustees of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.

"We discussed the problem of reporting on 52 billion drams  transferred by the fund to the government during the war in Karabakh.   The impressions from the discussion are depressing. The Prime  Minister unambiguously stated that 52 billion were transferred to the  budget and spent in the general cauldron of all budget expenditures,  and that it is impossible to specify what exactly the charitable  funds were spent on. 

"Meanwhile, by agreement with the Fund, the government is obliged to  provide reports on the funds received.

Obviously, the funds had to go to a special account of the  government, opened for this purpose, and spent from this account on  urgent needs dictated by the war. Then there would be no problem with  reporting.  I do not know whether this was done intentionally or  through negligence, but in fact, it is precisely because of the  government's actions that the reputation of the Hayastan Fund is  seriously damaged, "the second President of Armenia noted.

At the same time, Kocharian added that the prime minister's verbal  assurances about the funds spent do not inspire any confidence. "I  cannot believe the assurances of the government, which throughout the  war cynically deceived its own people about the real situation at the  front, which, 4 months after the war, hides the number of victims,  missing persons and prisoners of war. In this context, I do not  understand the statement adopted on behalf of the council. How can  you be sure in advance of the targeted spending of the fund's funds  in the absence of supporting documents?

In this situation, it is obvious that no audit will clarify the  situation, but will only increase the existing doubts. I see the only  correct way out to formalize 52 billion drams as a government debt to  the Fund and return these funds within 3-5 years. The Hayastan Fund,  in turn, should spend these funds on numerous programs covering the  needs of Artsakh, "Robert Kocharian summed up.

It should be reminded that during the Second Artsakh War, Armenians  around the world collected money to help their Motherland. The money  was sent to the account of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, which  organized a fundraiser called "We and Our Borders".

After the end of hostilities, it became known that about 80% of the  collected 170 million dollars was secretly transferred to the RA  state budget. This amount has become a regular budget expense. The  documentation of this deal was formalized as a donation to the RA  state budget.  After the uproar, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan  confirmed that the money had been transferred to the budget. Then the  Ministry of Finance issued a statement in which it was noted that it  was about an amount of about 52 billion drams or 107 million dollars.   After a number of information that caused a wide public response, it  was decided to conduct an audit in the Fund. The data on the results  of the audit are not yet known.