Business Corruption in Armenia

President Serzh Sargsyan's administration has initiated a range of anti-corruption efforts aimed at reducing endemic corruption at all levels of Armenian society. The government has aimed to limit corruption by introducing and promoting relatively open investment policies and corresponding procedures and by establishing stronger enforcement mechanisms, including an anti-corruption strategy targeting high-ranking officials, as well as internet portals and one-stop shops to make regulatory processes more transparent.

There remains a range of issues concerning corruption in Armenia. For instance, tax, customs and regulatory rules remain non-transparent and are not applied consistently. In addition, instances of unfair tender processes and preferential treatment within the Armenian procurement system persist, according to the Investment Climate Statement 2013 . Corruption remains pervasive in Armenia's judiciary, despite recent improvements.

The Transformation Index 2014 warns that even though corruption is being reduced in many sectors, Armenia's growth is slowing, which may see corruption increase. Less than one-fifth of respondents in the Global Corruption Barometer 2013 believed that corruption had decreased in Armenia during the previous two years.

June 2014
GAN Integrity Solutions