Epress.am News from Armenia
Popular Armenian singer-songwriter Ruben Hakhverdyan would like Armenia’s authorities to be “more developed.”
“The most satiated among them throw their money to the wind. I’ve seen how much they gamble in casinos and how they throw around their dollars,” he said at a press conference today.
Hakhverdyan described a recent visit to a casino with an unnamed gambler: “He lost about 20,000 dollars. I said, if you gave it to me, I would record an album. He said, didn’t you see? It’s finished.”
Oligarchs having money doesn’t anger the singer: “The man is a businessman, he’s working [for] his money.”
“What I am disgusted by is that a [state] official, beginning from the president to the office worker, can be richer than the most wealthy,” he said.
This phenomenon he called in Russian “stealing from the treasury” — “When officials grab and devour from the state budget or state resources those funds which, let’s say, come from abroad and have to serve some purpose or another.”
As for running for office, Hakhverdyan wants none of that. Asked what he would do if he were appointed prime minister, he said: “I wouldn’t become [prime minister], because executions might begin.” He would have to capture many and force them to serve time in prison, he said, “definitely.”