YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. All individuals involved in illegal acts related to corruption, money laundering must be investigated, and of course, including the case of “Azerbaijani Laundromat”, where the name of a Bulgarian individual was identified, MEP Andrey Kovatchev, member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Human Rights, said in an interview to ARMENPRESS.

“In general, in case there is solid proof of their involvement, the individuals must be brought before the competent courts. The courts must ensure that criminal acts in the area of finance and politics are brought to justice by impartial judges according to the rule of law. Corruption and money laundering are issues which usually have cross-border effect, therefore, they must be tackled by the international community as a whole”, he said.

Recalling about the “Panama papers” scandal, he said they are trying at EU level to close sources of corruption.

“I strongly call for the urgent implementation of zero tolerance policies on tax havens and money laundering, for raising international standards of transparency and I encourage deeper international cooperation to determine the ownership of gray companies and trust companies, used as tax evasion channels, fraud, illicit trade, capital flows, money laundering and corruption”, the MEP said, stating that future cases can be prevented by imposing harsh but just legal consequences and by ensuring the impartiality of the courts.

“Moreover, the fight against corruption and money laundering must be supported by not only the government but also international organizations and NGOs, so that more transparency and justice are ensured”, Andrey Kovatchev said.

Syuzi Muradyan