Armenia sees no progress in anti-corruption efforts, Transparency International warns

(Horizon Weekly) – Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center (TIAC) announced today that Armenia has made no measurable progress in combating corruption, while public trust in key state institutions continues to erode. The organization reported that Armenia’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has remained unchanged at 47 points for both 2023 and 2024, a stagnation that raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of recent reforms.

TIAC expert Varuzhan Hoktanian noted that the early years of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s tenure saw improvements, driven by high public expectations and targeted reforms. Today, however, the picture is markedly different. “On one hand, nothing has been done to achieve progress; on the other hand, fortunately, there has been no regression either,” Hoktanian said, underscoring the lack of forward movement. He questioned whether the government has lost interest in anti-corruption reforms or mistakenly believes the problem has been resolved.

A central concern in TIAC’s statement is the selective application of justice. Hoktanian stressed that the confiscation of illicit property from former officials, while welcome, is not enough. “This approach must apply to current officials as well,” he said. “The same selectivity is visible in electoral processes. We have already witnessed abuse of administrative resources in local elections. If this continues in next year’s parliamentary elections, the consequences could be serious.” He also pointed to persistent gaps in campaign finance transparency.

TIAC warned that 2025 will be a decisive year, highlighting several issues that cast doubt on the legality and credibility of upcoming parliamentary elections. Among them are the selective use of the law against political opponents, continued wiretapping and leaks, and the targeting and stigmatization of independent media outlets and journalists.

The organization also raised alarm over what it described as “gross interference by high ranking representatives of the ruling political force in the affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church.” According to Hoktanian, the government’s confrontational posture risks inflaming internal Church tensions. “If we look at this through a corruption lens, can we truly be confident that bishops aligned with the prime minister possess the integrity necessary to serve as an alternative to the current Church hierarchy? One cannot fight negative phenomena with negative people,” he said.

Prime Minister Pashinyan, however, maintains that systemic corruption in Armenia has been eradicated. “Since 2018, systemic corruption has been eliminated in Armenia and still does not exist,” he declared, arguing that if such a system remained in place, he himself would be implicated. He insisted: “There was none, there is none, and there will be no systemic corruption in Armenia.”

Yet TIAC’s assessment, released on the occasion of International Anti Corruption Day, paints a far more sobering picture. Seven years after pledging to fight corruption regardless of whether it involves former or current authorities, the government, the organization concludes, has fallen short, and the risks ahead are mounting.