Varuzhan Hoktanyan, Executive Director of Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC) gave interview to 1in.am Armenian News and Analyses online. He addressed the first 100 days of the new government and the measures taken to eradicate corruption, a situation when people have big businesses, yet everything is clean on paper, using one’s official position for business purposes, corruption in prosecutor’s office, etc. In the opinion of Hoktanyan there were no obvious changes and economic growth of only 3 percent was recorded.

The corruption related situation would be adequately viewed after the launch of TI Corruption Perceptions Index in December. Considering public perception, more serious and profound preventive measures should be developed to ban a situation when people have big businesses, yet everything is clean on paper. The countries that have bigger experience apply different other mechanisms. Using one’s official position for business purposes should be prevented. Serious steps should be taken to minimize such situations.

The latest survey on the prosecutor’s office was carried out 4 years ago in 2010 by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC). According to CRRC study corruption perception was addressed in various spheres by a general survey, and the judiciary was assessed as rather corrupt. No recent study has been conducted.