Jamanak. Rustam Badasyan's Ambitions: Who Has Received Positions Through the Minister's Mediation

Yesterday it became known that Armenia's Deputy Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galayan has been appointed as the Deputy Prosecutor General, overseeing the functions related to the confiscation of property of illegal origin.

Recall that the newspaper "Jamanak" had reported back in July that the winner of the competition for this position was already known—Srbuhi Galayan—despite the competition not yet being held. She is set to occupy this crucial position as desired by Armenia's Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan. In other words, the Minister of Justice has already decided to send his loyal person to the Prosecutor's Office and personally monitor the process of confiscating illegal property.

It is worth noting that Rustam Badasyan’s modus operandi is not new; since the very first day of his appointment, various friends and relatives have received high positions, and he has made the decisions and chosen who should be appointed to which position. This is occurring at a time when he himself loudly proclaims to fight against corruption.

Let's try to recall who has received positions through Badasyan’s actual mediation since his appointment as Minister of Justice. On March 16, by the decision of the Prime Minister, Sergey Meghryan was appointed as the Chief Enforcement Officer. Meghryan is a friend of Rustam Badasyan and was able to be appointed to this position only thanks to changes made to the law on enforcement services, allowing a person with a rank lower than colonel, like Meghryan, to be appointed to this position.

Rustam Badasyan appointed his childhood friend Suren Galstyan as the head of the Ministry of Justice staff, while his godfather, David Gasparyan, was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Justice's oversight service. So, what is corruption, against which Rustam Badasyan claims to be uncompromisingly fighting?

Additionally, sources well-informed in the law enforcement system have informed "Jamanak" that Armenia's Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan might be newly appointed to a position. He is vying to become the head of the Anti-Corruption Committee. It is worth noting that in 2021, a unified body for the detection and investigation of corruption crimes, the Anti-Corruption Committee, is set to be established, which will be a highly influential body.