This is unacceptable, the public must have answers: Pashinyan

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, addressed the ongoing criminal cases initiated by the Anti-Corruption Committee. "I was astonished, and to be honest, a bit angry, when I realized that there are criminal cases initiated in 2018 with a lot of noise and accompanied by extensive media coverage. Now, one day we suddenly remember, we ask: what happened to that criminal case that was on the front pages of the media at that time? We receive a brief report saying, 'the investigation continues.' This, excuse me, is unacceptable, because the public and the government must have answers," he stated.

The Prime Minister reminded that a significant and substantial investment has been made from the state budget in the Anti-Corruption Committee: "I want to remind you that for the first time, such a high salary level was set during the formation of the Anti-Corruption Committee with the expectation that the government’s political will would be more institutionally expressed in terms of anti-corruption policy and fight. But sadly, I must note that this does not only relate to the activities of the Anti-Corruption Committee, but we have also discussed the problems we have within the judicial and legal system." According to him, it is unacceptable that "a criminal case is initiated, put in a drawer, and suddenly we remember about it 5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 years later." The Prime Minister also mentioned that there are similar issues with the Investigative Committee, and such practices must be excluded.