Highest Bonuses Awarded to Cleaners and Drivers at the Cadastre Committee

The head of the Real Estate Cadastre Committee, Sarhat Petrosyan, addressed the issue of bonuses awarded to the committee's employees.

He wrote on his Facebook page: "In recent days, I have been asked many times, and I will say that yes, there were bonuses in the Cadastre system last year as well, and there will be, because in the public administration system, we need to have honest and well-paid employees; otherwise, we will fall back into the closed cycle of a corrupt state system.

Last autumn, we developed a new framework, and this year, the bonuses will not be uniform but will be based on the quality of work. Since I took over as the head of the Cadastre Committee in August 2018, all employees of the system have received a bonus equivalent to 25% of their salary each month (unless they missed work, received a reprimand, or were on leave that month). Those performing high-risk work, such as registrars, have received even higher bonuses during this time. Additionally, those whose salaries are unreasonably low—such as cleaners and drivers—have also received higher bonuses. At the end of the year, the entire system received a 100% bonus instead of the standard 25%, and I also individually rewarded the key figures responsible for our reforms.

As a result, the monthly financial income of all employees in a system previously considered corrupt has increased by about 50% (according to our data, corrupt flows have been eliminated).

One important point is that previously the Committee, which is a self-financing body, spent almost all of its generated revenue. However, in 2018, we returned about 538 million drams to the state budget, which is more than the total amount returned to the state budget in all years since 2012.

I personally have always refused bonuses throughout the year. Only at the end of the year did I not refuse, so as not to put my colleagues, who do not refuse, in a difficult position (my financial bonus amounted to 640,000 drams, slightly less than the amount received by my deputies in December).

I am not writing about past awards, nor am I referencing the 'black' circulation within the system, let alone my income before my appointment. I have thought long and hard about the decision to award myself and bear the moral and legal responsibility for it. Frankly, seeing the opinion of wide segments of society, I may have made a mistake for which I will draw conclusions in the future.

P.S. I had already decided to write when we received specific inquiries on this topic today from a journalist from "Hekq," to which we will respond within the legally established timeframe."