Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia: Corruption Perception Index  indicators demonstrate ineffectiveness of Armenian authorities`  anti-corruption policies

ArmInfo. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in Armenia in recent years has demonstrated that the institutional changes undertaken by the Armenian authorities have not led to a significant improvement in the perceived level of corruption in the Republic. This was stated in a statement received by ArmInfo by the Anti-Corruption Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) of Armenia.

The statement states that, according to the indicators, the country's  Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in 2025 was 46 points, one point  lower than the previous year, and Armenia ranked 65th out of 182  countries globally. Meanwhile, the Coalition noted that, according to  Appendix 1 of the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2023-2026, approved by  the Armenian government on October 26, 2023, the index was expected  to increase to 55 points as a result of planned measures. "Clearly,  compared to this indicator, the international assessment raises  serious concerns. The 2025 results demonstrate that corruption  remains a serious problem in many countries and regions around the  world," the organization emphasized. The Anti-Corruption Coalition  noted that in recent years, Armenia has implemented important  institutional reforms aimed at creating and developing an  anti-corruption system. Specifically, specialized anti-corruption  bodies have been established, such as the Anti-Corruption Committee,  the Corruption Prevention Commission (CPC), anti-corruption courts,  and relevant divisions of the Prosecutor General's Office. "The  establishment and operation of these structures were intended to  enhance the effectiveness of the fight against corruption and lead to  a reduction in the perception of corruption in the public sphere.  However, a comparative analysis of indicators over recent years shows  that the institutional changes implemented have not yet led to a  significant improvement in the perception of corruption. While the  decrease in the indicator in 2025 compared to the previous year is  small and can be considered an acceptable statistical deviation, it  also indicates that the impact of the implemented anti-corruption  policy has not yet manifested itself in significant progress.  Furthermore, comparative observations show a decline of 2 points  compared to the 2020-2021 indicators," the coalition added.

Meanwhile, according to the source, Armenia ranked 60th in the global  Corruption Perceptions Index for 2020 with 49 points, improving its  position by 7 points compared to 2019. The organization cited this  stark difference as a reason for the relevant authorities to pay  attention to the effectiveness of the fight against corruption. The  Anti-Corruption Coalition also called for consideration of the fact  that corruption is a complex social phenomenon and is rapidly  transforming.

"Expert research by the Armenian CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition shows  that the perception of corruption in the country is often limited. In  particular, society does not always recognize phenomena such as  nepotism, favoritism, and clientelism as manifestations of  corruption. These phenomena can have a significant impact on human  resource management in the public sector, as well as on the  transparency and accountability of the public procurement system,  creating risks of uncompetitive and non-transparent practices," the  statement noted.

The Coalition noted that, from a transparency and accountability  perspective, the situation is also concerning: despite the fact that  Armenian legislation establishes a legal framework for managing  conflicts of interest, their application is primarily reactive. That  is, as the organization explained, case studies are primarily  conducted post-factum, while early prevention and deterrence tools  are still limited in their application.

In this regard, attention is drawn to the information provided by  Committee Chair Artur Nahapetyan in the 2025 Anti-Corruption  Committee Activity Report. The Coalition noted that, according to  this information, in 2025, cases against 298 public servants were  sent to court, 222 of whom were serving officials.

"The above results raise serious concerns regarding the effective  implementation of corruption prevention and combating policies. The  CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia also assesses the committee  member selection processes as concerning, emphasizing the need to  take additional measures to enhance transparency, accountability, and  trust in these competitions and elections," the organization  emphasized.  Another concerning practice identified by the  Anti-Corruption Coalition is cases in which, during court proceedings  involving the confiscation of illicit property of public interest,  the judge decides to hold hearings behind closed doors without a  corresponding motion from the parties and without a valid reason,  citing the interests of justice. "Such a practice may be seen as a  deviation from the principle of transparency in cases of public  importance and may negatively impact public confidence in the  fairness of judicial proceedings. Best international practices and  accepted anti-corruption standards clearly emphasize maximum  transparency and openness in judicial proceedings. In particular, the  UN Convention against Corruption, as well as the guidebooks of the  Council of Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and  Development, have repeatedly emphasized that the public's right to  information and openness in judicial proceedings are fundamental in  the fight against corruption," the Coalition recalled.

The Armenian CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition also identified a number  of systemic problems, one of which is the insufficient systemic  policy in the area of anti-corruption education and public awareness.   Specifically, it noted that government policies and the  anti-corruption institutional system fail to adequately foster a  culture of intolerance toward corruption among the general public, as  well as among civil servants and those holding public office, which  further complicates the consistent implementation of preventive  measures.

The organization emphasized the need to ensure the independence and  accountability of the anti-corruption institutional system. In this  regard, the Anti-Corruption Coalition reaffirmed its commitment to  supporting the Armenian government in fully and comprehensively  achieving the goals and actions outlined in the Anti-Corruption  Strategy for 2023-2026. The Coalition also expressed its intention to  provide expert support to anti-corruption institutional bodies to  localize best international practices and develop institutional  capacity. According to the source, the Anti-Corruption Coalition of  Armenia is a professional civil society organization founded on  November 28, 2014, in Yerevan. Currently, the coalition comprises  over 50 civil society organizations, and the Armenian Lawyers'  Association serves as its secretariat.