Government to provide Anti-Corruption Committee with new headquarters as soon as possible, says PM

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said the government will seek to provide the Anti-Corruption Committee with new premises as soon as possible.

Speaking at a ceremonial session marking the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Pashinyan said the government had been seeking solutions to the issue of the committee’s premises for quite some time.

“We have been looking for solutions to the issue of the committee’s premises for quite a long time. The committee operates from several locations and clearly needs new premises. It seems that we have already reached an agreement on when, where, how and within what timeframe the construction and commissioning of the Anti-Corruption Committee’s new complex should take place. I am confident that we will resolve this issue as quickly as possible,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister said the government must continue supporting the committee by providing the material and technical resources necessary for its work and continuously improving its social benefits system.

Pashinyan said that during the committee’s initial period of operation, its employees’ remuneration system differed significantly from that of employees of other law enforcement agencies, but the systems have now been largely brought into line.

“At the proposal of the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee, the government is also discussing improvements to the social benefits system to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the institution,” he added.

Addressing electoral processes, the Prime Minister emphasized the Anti-Corruption Committee’s particular role in detecting and preventing crimes aimed at undermining voters’ free expression of their will.

“Any pressure exerted on citizens’ expression of political will is absolutely unacceptable to me, the government and our political team. Vote-buying, abuse of administrative resources and pressure on people are absolutely unacceptable,” Pashinyan said, adding that the people’s free expression of their will is a fundamental and absolute value that must be preserved and protected.

At the end of the session, the Prime Minister presented awards to heads of the Anti-Corruption Committee’s departments.