TIAC applied to the Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials and Yerevan Mayor
Based on the functions of the Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials to analyze and to publish assets and income declarations, as well as to disclose conflict of interest situation, according to RA Law on Public Service (article 43) and the provision of Ethics Commission to initiate proceedings on its own initiative (article 44), Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC) applied to Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials with a request to provide the following information:
1. whether the Commission studied the information published in mass media on the sources of Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryans assets and income; whether the Commission analyzed and compared his assets and income declarations and those of the people related to him with the media-reported information,
2. whether the Commission compared the assets and income declarations submitted by Taron Margaryan to the Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials with the one submitted to the Central Electoral Commission; and what conclusions it drew,
3. whether the Commission studied the reports published in media, and if yes, whether it examined the potential suspicions on conflict of interest situation arising from them; whether or not his official position and authorities were used arising risk for conflict of interest. If yes, whether or not Taron Margaryan applied to Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials according to article 31 of RA Law on Public Service in order to get clarification on the necessity to come up with a statement on conflict of interest in a specific situation.
Moreover, TIAC requested to provide the results if the Commission initiated proceedings on the above-mentioned inquiries and if it conducted studies. In case the Commission failed to initiate proceedings and conducted studies, and based on its application TIAC requested to clarify the compliance of the allegations mentioned in media reports with reality, and in case of sufficient grounds within the Commissions jurisdiction to initiate proceedings, pursuant to RA Law on Public Service, article 44, paragraph 2 in order to clarify
- whether the Mayor was in conflict of interest situation or was there such a risk while increasing public transport fares,
- whether the Mayor used his official position and authorities in managing investments.
TIAC suggests that the the Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials apply to law enforcement bodies in case it is impossible to clarify the legality of the sources of assets and incomes within its jurisdiction.
It should be reminded that after Mr. Margaryan submitted his assets and income declaration to the Central Electoral Commission as a candidate for Yerevan Council (for the period covering 1 March 2012 to 1 March 2013) (see http://hetq.am or http://www.ilur.am in Armenian) suspicions and various comments reported in media on his assets and income, and the the issue of legality of obtaining them arose. Whereas according to the assets and income declaration submitted to the Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials Mr. Margaryan had no movable or immovable property or other source of income besides his salary. By comparing Taron Margaryans declarations submitted to Ethics Commission for High Ranking Officials and officially published declarations with those submitted to the Central Electoral Commission an impression is created that the whole movable and immovable property was obtained during January-February 2013.
In addition to the above mentioned, related to increase in public transport fares, and taking into consideration its right to know, stipulated by RA Constitution articles 27.1 and 42.1 and RA Law on Freedom of Information, article 6, TIAC applied to the Mayor requesting to provide
1. the list of organizations providing bus and microbus service in Yerevan city according to their routes,
2. the list of economic agents who submitted claims on increase in public transport fares,
3. the ground substantiating the Mayors decision on increase in public transport fares.
