Wednesday, June 11 2014

The parliamentary discussions on fulfillment of the state budget 2013 is a good opportunity to assess the 6-year activity of the ex-prime minister Tigran Sargsyan, said Nikol Pashinyan, oppositionist MP, a member of the Armenian National Congress Faction, in the Parliament, Wednesday.

According to Pashinyan, Tigran Sargsyan's government was the most scandalous in the history of the third republic of Armenia. To recall all those scandals, Pashinyan created a list of the Top-10 scandals. Thus, Tigran Sargsyan's statement of Oct 22 2008 is on the 10th place. In particular, the ex-prime minister recommended MP Artak Davtyan not to speak of the consequences of the world crisis on the economy of Armenia and the distress that threatened Armenia. In fact, in 2009 the country's economy fell 14.8%.  Ex-justice minister Hrayr Tovmasyan with his insulting remarks addressed to the oppositional parliamentarians on February 14 2014 is on the 9th place. "Meanwhile, the government regularly urges parliamentarians to develop a new political culture," Pashinyan said. He gave the 8th place to the scandalous appearance of the drunken ex-prime minister Tigran Sargsyan at K. Demirchyan Sports and Concert Facility on 11 November 2011.  "If a man fails to control his actions, how could he manage the government," Pashinyan said.

The 7th place also belongs to Tigran Sargsyan and his interview with the local newspaper "168 Zham" wherein he said: "What should we do? Everything for the people to leave Armenia and the others who remain here to make a revolution." Although the statement was disclaimed later, the full text of the interview emerged in the web where the newspaper accurately brought Sargsyan's words.  The gas scandal is on the 6th place. In particular, the government concealed from the people that the gas tariff for 2011-2014 was raised. They did it to get 'a vote of confidence' in the course of the three elections held in the given period.  Pashinyan gives the 5th place to installation of speed meters in the country. In fact, the people were reluctant to pay additional 11 billion drams to the road police and the president's brother Alexander Sargsyan.  This year, that burden will increase to 20 bln drams. "Meanwhile, the population could spend those funds on food, clothing, communal services and other necessary things," Pashinyan said. 

The scandal with Nairit Plant goes the 4th in the list. The oppositionist claims that it was Tigran Sargsyan who raised a 70-mln dollars loan and transferred it to an unknown company. In fact, the plant became bankrupt.  Above all, all that did not affect the prime minister's brother, who used to receive astronomic salary as deputy director of the plant, Pashinyan said recalling that the employees of the plant still organize protests and demand their salaries for many months. Over the last years, every new government accumulated new debts and even more deteriorated the situation at the plant.  The scandal with the funded pension is on the 3rd place. "Can you imagine how much unconstitutional was the law on the funded pension that the Constitutional Court could not but recognize it unconstitutional even in the outrageous situation we have in the country now," Pashinyan asked rhetorically. The unlawful usage of the artesian wells in the Ararat Valley is on the 2nd place in Pashinyan's list of scandals.  As head of the committee for management of water resources Tigran Sargsyan let the situation reach an environmental disaster, he said.  The first place in the Top-10 scandals in Armenia belongs to the offshore scandal with embezzlement of 10 million dollars.