11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption in prisons continued to be a problem ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23005]

"Corruption in prisons continued to be a problem, exacerbated by very low salaries for prison administration employees, poor and sometimes dangerous working conditions, and a lack of staff. In certain facilities prisoners bribed officials to obtain single occupancy cells and additional comforts. There were also unverified reports that authorities charged unofficial fees to family members and friends seeking to deliver meals to inmates. In some prisons monitors noted that prisoners had difficulty mailing letters and that some prison officials did not adequately facilitate family visits."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption remained a significant problem in the police force ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23010]

"Corruption remained a significant problem in the police force and security services, but reform efforts continued, mainly in the area of traffic control and criminal investigations. The police continued to implement procedures established in November 2006 to curb corruption at roadside checkpoints. The government also established a new system of paying traffic fines to reduce opportunities for bribes, and the frequency of bribe-taking appeared to decrease during the year."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption and an inefficient bureaucracy continued to hinder citizens' efforts to register changes in official places of residence ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23135]

"Corruption and an inefficient bureaucracy continued to hinder citizens' efforts to register changes in their status, including changes in official places of residence. To leave the country on a temporary or permanent basis, citizens must obtain an exit visa. Exit visas for temporary travel out of the country may be routinely purchased for approximately $3.00 (1,000 drams) for each year of validity. Visas may also be obtained later. There is an official 10 day waiting period for visas, but officials commonly agreed to expedite them in exchange for bribes up to about $29 (10,000 drams). Citizens who attempted to depart the country without visas were not permitted to leave."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

According to some citizens, authorities used the exit permit process to exact bribes which, by some accounts, totaled hundreds of dollars ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23136]

"The exit visa process was more difficult for citizens leaving the country permanently. The registration agency must deregister them, which entails sending queries to numerous other agencies to determine whether the citizen has any outstanding debts or obligations. The process commonly took several months to complete, and according to some citizens, authorities used the exit permit process to exact bribes which, by some accounts, totaled hundreds of dollars. Permission to depart the country permanently may be denied to persons who possess state secrets, are subject to military service, are involved in pending court cases, or who have outstanding financial obligations. Men of military age who have not completed service requirements must overcome substantial bureaucratic obstacles to travel abroad, including excessive delays in processing and officials soliciting bribes for exit stamps."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption was widespread on all levels and in all sectors ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23450]

"The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.
Corruption was widespread on all levels and in all sectors. The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators reflected that corruption was a serious problem. The public rarely protested practices such as routine bribe-paying, and appeared to be resigned to the prevalence of corruption.
Financial disclosure laws exist for public officials and their family members. However, according to a December 2006 report by the Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the declaration was a formality, and there were no mechanisms in place to verify the declared information. The declarations were not fully accessible to the public.
Government programs to curb corruption were largely inactive during the year. The governmental Monitoring Commission and Anticorruption Council, which oversaw implementation of the 2003-06 Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan, met sporadically during the year, a violation of their own regulations. There was no official report that publicized the implementation of the Anticorruption Strategy Program and its action plan. On December 29, the anticorruption council approved a nine-month timetable for drawing up the new anticorruption strategy for 2008-2012.
TI's Armenian affiliate officially ended its participation in the Monitoring Commission on February 14, when the head of the commission verbally attacked TI for the results of the Corruption Perception Survey that it had published in January.
According to the government, during the first nine months of the year 47 public officials were charged and convicted in corruption cases."

Document(s): Open document

26.09.2007 - Source: Armenialiberty

Government corruption has not decreased in the past year despite government's assurances it is addressing the problem, Transparency International says ("Global Corruption Survey Finds No Improvement In Armenia") [ID 21541]

Document(s): Open document

06.2007 - Source: Freedom House

Bribery and nepotism are reported to be common among government bureaucrats ("Freedom in the World 2007") [ID 20473]

"Bribery and nepotism are reported to be common among government bureaucrats, and government officials are rarely prosecuted or otherwise removed for abuse of office. Corruption is also believed to be a serious problem in law enforcement. Armenia was ranked 93 out of 163 countries surveyed in Transparency International’s 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption remained a significant problem in the police force and security service ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20180]

"Corruption remained a significant problem in the police force and security service. Police officers routinely stopped motorists at roadside checkpoints to extort illegal "fees." Motorists reported that traffic police generally demanded approximately $2.80 (1000 drams) to pass a checkpoint. Investigative journalists alleged that police inspectors and superiors received a portion of the proceeds from each traffic stop. As a result, there were no incentives to curb the practice and no efforts by the government during the year to do so."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption was widespread; public appeared to be resigned to the prevalence of corruption ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20324]

"Corruption was widespread, as was citizens' awareness of it. In an August Gallup poll commissioned by a foreign organization, one in 10 respondents, asked to name the most serious problem facing the country, named corruption, placing it in third place behind economic concerns and the problem of Nagorno‑Karabakh. The country scored 2.9 in Transparency International's 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index. The index reflects the perceptions of business people and country analysts using a scale of zero to 10 with zero being considered highly corrupt. Amalia Kostanian, head of the local affiliate of Transparency International stated that the expert and public perception was that corruption was increasing. However, the public, which rarely protested practices such as routine bribe-paying, was generally politically apathetic and appeared to be resigned to the prevalence of corruption."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Government did not adequately maintain its own anticorruption programs ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20325]

"The government did not adequately maintain its own anticorruption programs. For example, an anticorruption council headed by the prime minister met only twice during the year, violating its own regulations, and a monitoring commission established by the council did not meet at all during the year."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

According to the government, 69 government officials were charged in 46 corruption cases during the year ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20326]

"According to the government, 69 government officials were charged in 46 corruption cases during the year. At least 16 of those officials were convicted under anticorruption laws. The disposition of the remaining cases was unclear at year's end."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption considered widespread; anticorruption laws provide access to and transparency of information regarding anticorruption action ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46111],  [ID 17225]

"Corruption was perceived to be widespread. According to a September 2004 opinion survey by a local research institute, a large majority of citizens believed that corruption exists "in all spheres and at all levels" in the country. A similar survey in 2003 indicated that citizens believed that corrupt authorities were not truly committed to fighting corruption.

During the year the special anticorruption commission primarily focused on establishing its internal organizational procedures. Anticorruption NGOs noted the council rarely met and, by year's end, made no appreciable progress toward implementing the government's 2003 anticorruption strategy.

According to the government, during the year the courts prosecuted 165 suspects, including 64 government officials, under anticorruption laws, issuing 58 convictions; other cases were ongoing at year's end.

The law provides for access to and transparency of information as well as its dissemination, but in practice the government rarely provided access. Most journalists and officials remained unaware of the law's provisions."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Border guards and police allegedly collaborate with traffickers; members of prosecutor's general office suspected of being influenced ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46111],  [ID 17270]

"Victims reported that Russian and Armenian border guards were easily bribed or commonly worked with traffickers. Some prosecutors were also reportedly complicit in trafficking. There were persistent allegations that senior members of the prosecutor general's office were susceptible to outside influence. Some observers asserted agreements between corrupt court officials and traffickers were also common. There were persistent reports that police employees and employees of the country's international airport assisted traffickers with transportation of victims to and through the country. Unlike in previous years, there were no arrests in these types of cases."

Document(s): Open document

19.01.2006 - Source: EurasiaNet

Independent lawyers expecting little impact of consitutional amendments, aimed at making courts less dependent on government, on corrupt judiciary ("Armenian lawyers skeptical about court independence after constitutional reform") [#43301],  [ID 3427]

Document(s): Open document

08.2005 - Source: Freedom House

Corruption and nepotism reported to be common among government officials; hardly any persecution ("Freedom in the World 2005") [#41286],  [ID 3428]

"Bribery and nepotism are reported to be common among government bureaucrats, and government officials are rarely prosecuted or otherwise removed for abuse of office. Corruption is also believed to be serious in law enforcement. Armenia was ranked 82 out of 146 countries surveyed in the 2004 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index."

Document(s): Open document

28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Corruption perceived as widespread; government adopted anti-corruption strategy ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29491],  [ID 3429]

"Corruption was perceived to be widespread. According to an opinion survey released in September by a local research institute, a large majority of citizens believed that corruption exists "in all spheres and at all levels" in the country. A similar survey in 2003 indicated that citizens believed that corrupt authorities were not truly committed to fighting corruption.

In January, the Government adopted an ambitious anti-corruption strategy, and, in March, the President appointed a special commission to implement it. During the year, the commission primarily focused on establishing its internal organizational procedures."

Document(s): Open document

27.02.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Article on corruption in the South Caucasus states ("South Caucasus: Is Any Real Progress Being Made In Tackling Corruption?") [#19945],  [ID 3430]

Document(s): Open document

06.11.2003 - Source: Armenialiberty

Armenian Government approves anti-corruption plan which has been drawn up with support from the World Bank ("Government Finally Approves Anti-Corruption Program") [#17973],  [ID 3431]

Document(s): Open document

16.09.2003 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Corruption a widespread problem in Armenia ("Background information; situation of ethnic minorities; groups possibly at risk: religious minorities, members of opposition, homosexuals, deserters") [#47207],  [ID 3432]

"88. Corruption is observed to be a widespread phenomena but UNHCR does not have information to substantiate allegations of collusion between the mafia and official administrative bodies."

Document(s): Open document

08.05.2003 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

The judicial reforms did not touch upon the issue of corruption and the influence of politicians on the courts ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Armenia") [#12599],  [ID 3434]

"The judicial reforms did not touch upon the issue of corruption and the influence of politicians
on the courts. In practice, however, they seemed to play an important role for example in appointments
of judges: many officers of the Justice Ministry were appointed judges of the Court of Appeal and
chairmen of the courts of first instance. Generally, it was believed that judges must pay a large sum to
have a positive attestation to work as a judge.
Bribery was a growing problem, which was also evident in the growing number of complaints
about it to the Helsinki Association; people were required to pay bribes to simply get their cases
settled. However, there was not a single known case of proceedings for bribery against judges."

Document(s): Open document

11.04.2003 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Proper mechanisms to combat widespread corruption still not established ("Battling Corruption") [#13317],  [ID 3433]

Document(s): Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

Citizens must negotiate with a sometimes corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy to register changes of residence or workplace ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11840],  [ID 3435]

"The Government does not restrict internal movement, and citizens have the right to change their residence or workplace freely. However, citizens must negotiate with a sometimes corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy to register these changes."

Document(s): Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

There were reports that corruption by Government officials facilitated trafficking in persons ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11840],  [ID 3436]

"There were reports that corruption by Government officials facilitated trafficking in persons (see Section 6.f.)."

Document(s): Open document

09.2002 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Corruption and organised crime ("Reisebericht Armenien 15.-21. Juli 2002") [#8888],  [ID 3437]

For statements of interviewpartners with regard to corruption and organised crome please refer to p- 5-6

Document(s): acc-arm0902.pdf