Bonuses in Prime Minister's Office Exceed Salaries: Revelations

In the Prime Minister's Office of Armenia, bonuses amounting to 363,178,700 AMD were paid during 2020. Notably, some employees received bonuses that surpassed their salaries, reports armeniasputnik.am.

This revelation was made by the State Audit Office following an audit of the implementation of the state budget of the Prime Minister's Office from January 1 to December 31, 2020.

According to the findings, the Prime Minister's Office received 2,566,055,800 AMD under the category of "salaries and allowances" for the year, of which approximately half—1,234,181,400 AMD—was allocated as salaries, while 363,178,700 AMD was given as bonuses, with the remainder covering income tax, vacation pay, various benefits, and social contributions.

Interestingly, the largest bonuses were issued in December, when bonuses totaling 235,441,900 AMD were paid to 500 employees. In comparison, in September, 56,735,900 AMD was allocated to 504 employees.

This significant figure of December bonuses likely drew the attention of auditors. A detailed assessment revealed that the Prime Minister decided to reward certain employees with bonuses exceeding their salaries.

“During the distribution of the funds saved from the salary fund, the bonuses awarded on December 25, 2020, by the Prime Minister’s decree No. 1428-A for diligent work exceeded the official salary rate for one month for certain rewarded employees,” the audit stated.

The auditors also noted that this decision by the Prime Minister contradicts the Armenian law on “Remuneration of Individuals Holding State Positions and Public Service Positions.” The audit established that according to Article 22, Part 10 of that law, “a public servant is awarded for special tasks and/or quality work based on their official salary rate for up to one month.”

However, the Prime Minister's Office disagrees with this interpretation, clarifying that the aforementioned decree references not Article 22, Part 10, as indicated by the auditors, but rather Article 6, Part 6, meaning that the bonuses surpassing the salary were given not for “special tasks and/or quality work,