The US State Department's 2009 Human Rights Report on Armenia, released on March 11, 2010, which covers many areas had a great deal to say about corruption. Armenian authorities did not take any substantive measures to curb systematic corruption, although junior and mid-level officials were periodically prosecuted during the year for petty corruption. Corruption remained a significant problem in certain spheres, namely the police, security forces, armed forces, prisons, etc. Courts remained subject to regular political pressure from the executive branch, and judicial corruption was a serious problem.

Civic groups working to address corruption stated that authorities continued to ignore media reports implicating government officials in corrupt practices. According to Transparency International's 2009 Global Corruption Barometer carried out between October 2008 and February, 43 percent of the individuals it surveyed in the country reported giving bribes in 2008. Respondents identified the police as the institution that demanded most bribes.

The report stated that all public officials and their family members, as well as citizens with annual incomes exceeding eight million drams (approximately $21,000), were subject to financial disclosure laws. However, the authorities lacked the will and technical capacity to verify the accuracy of the declarations, which were not fully accessible to the public, and were unable to take action against persons who concealed their incomes.

During the year, the Control Chamber published findings on gross violations and financial abuses in numerous state bodies; as in previous years, however, these cases were rarely prosecuted. The report goes on to say, "According to the local affiliate of Transparency International, the government ministers and regional governors implicated by these reports simply returned some of the money to the budget and continued to work without any legal action being taken against them."

The report also focused on election violations, among others. It mentioned numerous cases of voting irregularities revealed by Transparency international Anti-corruption Center (TIAC) observers. According to TIAC report, TIAC observers faced intimidation and pressure to leave in 16 of the TEC's 33 local voting precincts and attempted bribery in four of the voting precincts in the Territorial Election Commission (TEC) with jurisdiction over Malatia-Sebastia and a part of the Shengavit districts. TIAC's observers also noted the presence of unauthorized individuals in 12 precincts, cases of ballot stuffing in 13 precincts, and open, multiple, directed, or substitutive voting in 17 precincts.

For full information on 2009 Human Rights Report: Armenia please visit US Department of State website at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eur/136018.htm