This Year, the Special Investigative Service Recovered 7 Times More Money, Says Pashinyan

In recent discussions aimed at making the fight against corruption more effective and significantly increasing the amounts returned to the state budget, we have held and will continue to hold discussions with representatives of law enforcement agencies, and this will be one of our most important issues in the coming period. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during today’s regular government session.

“I want to remind you that during the 2018 electoral process, I made a statement that over the next five years we need to spend an additional $2.5 billion on our security needs, particularly to enhance the combat readiness and armaments of our armed forces,” he said, noting that $1.5 billion of that amount should be generated through effective anti-corruption efforts, including the sequestration of stolen assets.

“Now the question is whether I am satisfied and pleased with the volumes and scales with which we are addressing this issue at this moment. Yes, we have unprecedented successes. Specifically, this year the Special Investigative Service has recovered 7 times more money than during the entire existence of the Special Investigative Service, which has been operational for 11 years now. This is a figure that cannot be ignored or undervalued. On the other hand, our set benchmarks are higher, and through improving our anti-corruption systems and enhancing legislation, we must make this process more efficient, because we all know that its potential exists,” he added.