“Fighting against corruption means losing power”

In Armenia corruption is a systemic problem, therefore a systemic fight should be waged against it, the deputy chairman of Heritage Party Armen Martirosian said at a press conference today.

He attached special importance to the punishment mechanism.

Member of the same party Styopa Safarian noted that corruption is not only a systemic problem, but it is also a system by itself. 
“I can assure you that those on the top of the system are well informed about the existing situation,” Safarian said. In conclusion, he noted that fighting against corruption means losing power.

Another participant of the discussion – Director of Transparency International Corruption Center’s Office in Armenia Varuzhan Hoktanuan said for his part that the actions taken by Armenian authorities are insufficient in order to overcome corruption.

He informed those present that among 176 countries, Armenia ranks 34th by the corruption perception index. “This is a low index by international standards, but among CIS countries, Armenia ranks third, that is to say, the other countries are in an even worse position,” Hoktanian said.

In his words, education, the police, and the judicial system are the most corrupt spheres.