Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

In October 2009 FOICA received from the RA State Revenue Committee all the statements pertaining to the data incorporated in the declarations for property and incomes by all ministers for 2008.

Only the data of Gevorg Petrosyan, Minister of he Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs were not provided because the latter has been holding this position beginning from the 12^th of May 2009. During 2008 Gerasim Alaverdyan, Minister of Agriculture and Armen Ashotyan, Minister of Education and Science had other positions and respectively submitted property and income declaration on incomes earned during the time of taking other positions. Gerasim Alaverdyan, Minister of Agriculture previously worked at Control Chamber in a capacity of the head of state budget control department, meanwhile Armen Ashotyan, Minister of    Education and Science was a Parliament Member, head of commission.  The analysis of the data provided by the RA State Revenue Committee showed that for the given period of time only 4 of 17 ministers, who submitted the property and income declarations, had alienated or acquired any movable or immovable property. So, E. Nalbandyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs alienated «Chevrolet» make of car in 2008¸ acquiring nothing instead. G. Sargsyan, Minister of Transport and Communication alienated a building and construction, 2 land-plots, acquiring instead building and construction, and 1 land-plot. Two of the ministers, without alienating anything, acquired new property – a landplot for each: Armen Grigoryan, Minister of Sport and Youth and V. Vardanyan, Minister of Urban Development. 

In 2008 only Gurgen Sargsyan, Minister of Transport and Communication, had property income amounting 18.400.000 AMD. In 2008 income in foreign currency was earned by Edvard Nalbandyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, which constituted 13.173 EUR, and G. Alaverdyan, Minister of Agriculture – 10.000 USD. In 2008 the highest income was registered with H. Kushkyan, Minister of Health. His income amounted to      381.607.396 AMD, which is 131 times more the lowest income (2.903.800 AMD) which was with H. Poghosyan, Minister of Culture, and 12 times as much as the income of G. Sargsyan, Minister of Transport and Communication who is the third in the list by incomes (30.865.620 AMD, including the property  income gained. Harutyun Kushkyan, Minister of Health, is followed by G. Sargsyan, Minister of Transport and Communications and A. Ashotan, Minister of Education and Science, owning respectively 30.865.620 AMD and 18.823.430 AMD of income.    

As it was noted before, in 2008 the lowest income was with the Minister of Culture, constituting 2.903.800 AMD. She is followed by the Minister of Nature Protection and Minister of Sport and Youth, owning respectively 2.906.178 AMD and 3.131.900 AMD of income. The amount of income gained by the rest of the ministers in 2008 fluctuates from 3 to 12 million AMD. To avoid any inaccuracy, the incomes of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture were not taken into account here, since their incomes consist also of amounts in foreign currency. The income of the Minister of Foreign Affairs amounted to 2.840.049 AMD and 13.173 EUR, meanwhile the income of the Minister of Agriculture was 9.722.600 AMD and 10.000 USD.  

As a result of legislative changes the officials are not required to submit property and income declaration for the affiliated persons any more. This means that the society cannot any longer get information on the property and income of their spouses, children and other affiliated persons. In any case, the public nature of the statements makes the work of our ministers more transparent, and the public exposure of their incomes adds more to the confidence in them.