‘Stunned’ PM doesn’t hide shock over ‘unbelievable and obscene’ volumes of corruption cases

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he is stunned over the information he receives on corruption crimes in Armenia.

“There have been very few reporters and lawmakers talking more about corruption than me, but now I am simply stunned over the information I receive,” Pashinyan said at today’s Cabinet meeting. “Today I am stunned over the volumes of corruption in Armenia”.

“This is simply unimaginable,” he said. “My harshest speech about corruption is simply ridiculous compared to the true volumes of [corruption] which has taken place in Armenia, and is taking place. This is one terrible occurrence,” Pashinyan said, adding that two months have passed since he took office as PM but every day he is getting surprised. “And as far as I see I’ll still get surprised for another 4 months as to how such things are possible. Can you imagine, I am getting daily information which surprises me, I refuse to believe in it until evidence is provided, evidence number two, evidence number three and so on”.

Pashinyan said that recently during a similar briefing he told an official to stop, because “I’m not ready to receive so much information in one day and I want to protect my mental balance”.

“Please, stop right now. When he was showing me evidence, photos, videos. I was saying it is enough for today, goodbye, go tell someone else. And this is reality. Imagine a country where the Prime Minister is being shocked every day, and it is the Prime Minister who has constantly announced during his political and journalistic career that the country is being plundered, that there is corruption, lawlessness. The PM is briefed with information which he refuses to believe, refuses to believe that someone can be obscene to such degree, and in sectors where you can’t believe. We are saying the [social] benefit sector is corrupt: Corruption? What is corruption?” he said.