The EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform notes several publications by the media and expert circles on the problematic process of election of the two members of the Corruption Prevention Commission (hereinafter: also the Commission). According to these publications, the ruling My Step faction has a decision not to vote in favour of one of the candidates – Ms Haykuhi Harutyunyan, who has held the position of the Chairperson of the Commission until recently. According to these publications, she was invited to an closed meeting of the faction, in the framework of which some members of the faction reminded her of her decisions and actions concerning themselves, their family members and friends clearly expressing discontent about them.
In this regard, we would like to mention that the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform has also had certain concerns related to some of the figures that have come before the attention of the Commission, which we have shared with both out international and domestic partners. These concerns were related to the possible involvement of these figures in corruption. It is regrettable that instead of paying adequate attention to the concerns of the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform, the Faction, most probably, lacking the full picture, has decided to get rid of Haykuhi Harutyunyan, thereby meeting the personal preferences of some of its members.
At the same time, we believe that it is important to note that during the chairpersonship of Haykuhi Harutyunyan, the Commission has demonstrated professionalism and independence within the system of anti-corruption bodies, as reflected in a number of reports and assessments of international partners.
Moreover, it was Haykuhi Harutyunyan that presented the experience of the Corruption Prevention Commission of the Republic of Armenia as international best practice during the 2023 Global Summit of the Open Government Partnership.
In view of the aforesaid, and in response to Prime Minister Pashinyan’s recent statements on intensification of the efforts in the area of fighting corruption, we call on the Civil Contract faction to be serious about their powers related to the formation of the Corruption Prevention Commission. In this regard, we recommend postponing the election of the members of the Corruption Prevention Commission and holding hearings with the representatives of the coalitions specialized in the field of fighting corruption, including the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform. We call on the rest of the members of the Civil Contract faction not to leave the issue to the decision of an internal minority clearly guided by their personal interests and take an active participation in the process.
04.12.2023
