Publications
Articles
THE DECISIONS ARE “DECLASSIFIED”
27.01.2009
GRISHA BALASANYAN
Town mayor Aram Danieylan has not provided the required resolutions until the case brought him to the “doors” of the court.
When in September 23, 2003 the RA Law “On Freedom of Information” was adopted, it was expected that henceforward getting information from the state bodies in particular would become easier. But since adoption of the Law, for 5 years now new gimmicks have been found by the officials to avoid working legally and hide the information belonging to the public in the drawers treating it as if being their own. If getting information in the capital is more or less monitored, the same cannot be said about the marz communities, which are “shady” and seizing the occasion of being unattended turned into entities working in a “closed” way. More specifically, the Freedom of Information Center (FOI) has time and again applied to Aram Davtyan Hrazdan Town mayor requesting to provide the copies of the resolutions taken by the Mayor in 2007. Articles 27 and 27.1 of the RA Constitution and Article 6 of the RA Law “On Freedom of Information” are clearly establish that everyone shall have the right to submit applications and suggestions to the authorized public and local self-government bodies for the protection of his/her private and public interests and the right to receive appropriate answers to them in a reasonable time. Besides, everyone has the right to get acquainted with and/or get the information sought by him as defined by the law.
This notwithstanding, the law did not have an effect on Aram Davtyan and he continued remaining stiff. The mayor would still feel “invincible”, should the FOI failed to exercise its right to judicial defense. Soon after that, the documents previously considered to be “highly classified” were passed in pile to the FOI at the courtroom. Let us present some noteworthy facts from these resolutions, which, apparently, forced the mayor to carefully conceal them.
According to resolution No. 159 as of April 5, 2007 the mayor allotted 58700 AMD to buy all necessary tools for implementation of “Paid Public Works” project. The fact that it withholds information on what tools have been bought for the account of the budget is another phase of the subject. However 20 days later, in accordance with resolution No.182 as of 25.04.2007, some more 70 000 AMD were allotted for the acquisition of tools within the framework of the same project. It turns out that either the municipality acquires worn-out tools, which are unusable for further utilization, or the bought tools are for one-time use, which enables the mayor every time to issue amounts from the budget for this purpose. In accordance with resolution No. 167 of the mayor based on the letter from K. Shahgeldyan, Kotayk Marzpet, 240 000 AMD was provided as an assistance to chess coach J. Vardanyan. The aim of such assistance remained unclear. Further, assistance at the amount of 50 000 AMD was provided to Hrazdan Territorial Subdivision of "Yerkrapah" Volunteer Union (resolution No. 200), another assistance of 200 000 AMD – to Hrazdan Veterans’ Council (resolution No. 209). Next time the given Council of Veterans was again provided with 50 000 AMD of assistance (resolution No. 257).
Among the “unclear” are also resolutions No. 177 and 187. In the first instance mayor Daniyelan submitted final settlements for 3 wage employees at the amount of 130 211 AMD, and in the second - under resolution 187 a final settlement was made for 5 wage employees at the amount of 223 835 AMD. The provision of these amounts is indeed doubtful, as it lacks any names of the wage employees; it also fails to clarify the scope of work performed by them. Such addressless resolutions indeed give room for doubt: do such people really exist? or they “work” virtually to embezzle the budget resources? As such is resolution No. 226, according to which an amount of 2 725 000 AMD was provided allegedly to “a number of needy townsmen”. Тhis brings up the questions: what needy families were provided with the money? and what kind of assistance was it? There is no answer to these questions.
From resolutions No. 264 and 265 one can surmise that the mayor is very “courteous” and usually meets the municipality women with bunches of flowers. Taking two similar resolutions in one day, he provided “Hovtashushan” cooperative with the amount of 175 000 AMD under one resolution and 79 000 AMD under another for the acquired flowers and wreaths.
A deduction from the budget at the amount of 395 000 AMD was made also for Hrazdam team to organize “Baze Kotayk 2007” youth camping. Interestingly, what the mayor’s munificence was spent on? In 2007 mayor Aram Danielyan did not take other important resolutions; the rest of the resolutions referred either to allocation of land plots and building permissions, or to administrative responsibility of townsfolk. He was not interested in issues vital for the townsfolk, and we are under the impression that in 2007 the mayor “worked” only for a certain group of people.
Town mayor Aram Danieylan has not provided the required resolutions until the case brought him to the “doors” of the court.
When in September 23, 2003 the RA Law “On Freedom of Information” was adopted, it was expected that henceforward getting information from the state bodies in particular would become easier. But since adoption of the Law, for 5 years now new gimmicks have been found by the officials to avoid working legally and hide the information belonging to the public in the drawers treating it as if being their own. If getting information in the capital is more or less monitored, the same cannot be said about the marz communities, which are “shady” and seizing the occasion of being unattended turned into entities working in a “closed” way. More specifically, the Freedom of Information Center (FOI) has time and again applied to Aram Davtyan Hrazdan Town mayor requesting to provide the copies of the resolutions taken by the Mayor in 2007. Articles 27 and 27.1 of the RA Constitution and Article 6 of the RA Law “On Freedom of Information” are clearly establish that everyone shall have the right to submit applications and suggestions to the authorized public and local self-government bodies for the protection of his/her private and public interests and the right to receive appropriate answers to them in a reasonable time. Besides, everyone has the right to get acquainted with and/or get the information sought by him as defined by the law.
This notwithstanding, the law did not have an effect on Aram Davtyan and he continued remaining stiff. The mayor would still feel “invincible”, should the FOI failed to exercise its right to judicial defense. Soon after that, the documents previously considered to be “highly classified” were passed in pile to the FOI at the courtroom. Let us present some noteworthy facts from these resolutions, which, apparently, forced the mayor to carefully conceal them.
According to resolution No. 159 as of April 5, 2007 the mayor allotted 58700 AMD to buy all necessary tools for implementation of “Paid Public Works” project. The fact that it withholds information on what tools have been bought for the account of the budget is another phase of the subject. However 20 days later, in accordance with resolution No.182 as of 25.04.2007, some more 70 000 AMD were allotted for the acquisition of tools within the framework of the same project. It turns out that either the municipality acquires worn-out tools, which are unusable for further utilization, or the bought tools are for one-time use, which enables the mayor every time to issue amounts from the budget for this purpose. In accordance with resolution No. 167 of the mayor based on the letter from K. Shahgeldyan, Kotayk Marzpet, 240 000 AMD was provided as an assistance to chess coach J. Vardanyan. The aim of such assistance remained unclear. Further, assistance at the amount of 50 000 AMD was provided to Hrazdan Territorial Subdivision of "Yerkrapah" Volunteer Union (resolution No. 200), another assistance of 200 000 AMD – to Hrazdan Veterans’ Council (resolution No. 209). Next time the given Council of Veterans was again provided with 50 000 AMD of assistance (resolution No. 257).
Among the “unclear” are also resolutions No. 177 and 187. In the first instance mayor Daniyelan submitted final settlements for 3 wage employees at the amount of 130 211 AMD, and in the second - under resolution 187 a final settlement was made for 5 wage employees at the amount of 223 835 AMD. The provision of these amounts is indeed doubtful, as it lacks any names of the wage employees; it also fails to clarify the scope of work performed by them. Such addressless resolutions indeed give room for doubt: do such people really exist? or they “work” virtually to embezzle the budget resources? As such is resolution No. 226, according to which an amount of 2 725 000 AMD was provided allegedly to “a number of needy townsmen”. Тhis brings up the questions: what needy families were provided with the money? and what kind of assistance was it? There is no answer to these questions.
From resolutions No. 264 and 265 one can surmise that the mayor is very “courteous” and usually meets the municipality women with bunches of flowers. Taking two similar resolutions in one day, he provided “Hovtashushan” cooperative with the amount of 175 000 AMD under one resolution and 79 000 AMD under another for the acquired flowers and wreaths.
A deduction from the budget at the amount of 395 000 AMD was made also for Hrazdam team to organize “Baze Kotayk 2007” youth camping. Interestingly, what the mayor’s munificence was spent on? In 2007 mayor Aram Danielyan did not take other important resolutions; the rest of the resolutions referred either to allocation of land plots and building permissions, or to administrative responsibility of townsfolk. He was not interested in issues vital for the townsfolk, and we are under the impression that in 2007 the mayor “worked” only for a certain group of people.