PM tasks Chief of Staff to solve presidential retirement benefit issue of Serzh Sargsyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan tasked his Chief of Staff Eduard Aghajanyan to submit a proposal within a month regarding providing an apartment to third President Serzh Sargsyan as part of the presidential retirement benefit law.

Acting minister of justice David Harutyunyan said at today’s Cabinet meeting that they have submitted a governmental decision bill on providing Serzh Sargsyan presidential retirement benefits and they suggest to adopt it.

“We must note that Serzh Sargsyan is the last former president to benefit from this right, because we haven’t planned similar guarantees for retired presidents anymore. I am suggesting your instruction for this issue to be addressed soon,” Harutyunyan said.

He reminded that back in March the government provided former president Sargsyan with official premises as part of a presidential retirement benefit. Former president-turned PM Sargsyan announced at an April 19 Cabinet meeting to declare the decision on granting him the premises as void, thus rejecting the benefit. Sargsyan suggested the next government to provide him with the benefit.

“I think the issue is clear, a privatization of one of the government homes took place and as a result of further developments now there is a need to annul this very specific part of the decision – on privatization of the governmental home – and to find another solution, which will ensure the lawful guarantee. I am tasking Chief of Staff Eduard Aghajanyan to submit within a month a suggestion to lawfully provide Serzh Sargsyan with the guarantee of the apartment benefit”, Pashinyan said.