Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenia’s diaspora ministry has taken the 20 million drams belonging to the “One Nation, One Culture” Fund, said Tamara Poghosyan, executive director of the fund which is overseen by the Armenian government, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today.
Note, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan (pictured) became head of the Fund’s Board of Trustees in 2009. According to Poghosyan, the series of violations began once Hakobyan was elected as council president.
The conflict, continued Poghosyan, began when Hakobyan, taking advantage of her official position, approved 50 programs to be implemented by the fund in 2010. Poghosyan, however, didn’t sign off on this proposal as, according to her, it would be impossible to carry out so many events with only 8 staff.
“I didn’t sign. They were to have written and I to have signed. A scheme for money laundering was being developed which didn’t get implemented,” she said. The ED also informed the press that a Board of Trustees meeting was held on Dec. 28, 2010, when, as decided by Hakobyan, the organization was to present its financial report, expenses and plans for the next year.
Tamara Poghosyan noted that this is usually presented at the end of the fiscal year, in Feb.–Mar. At that time, Poghosyan became quite ill and was obliged to remain in hospital for one and a half months.
The meeting, nevertheless, took place without the ED’s presence, during which time Hakobyan approved various decisions, including allocating 12 million drams of the Fund’s monies to other non-profit organizations.
Poghosyan, not approving these decisions, wished to meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan; however, she was received by the president’s chief of staff Karen Karapetyan, who said he would speak with Sargsyan on the matter.
The “One Nation, One Culture” Executive Director has yet to hear from Sargsyan. In an attempt to resolve the issue, she filed a claim with the RA General Prosecutor’s office.
“The General Prosecutor accepted the case. I’m convinced that if I hadn’t sent it to him, my appeal wouldn’t have left the president’s office,” she said.
Poghosyan also noted that the Fund’s budget, which went from being overseen by the Ministry of Culture to being overseen by the Ministry of Diaspora, was the result of political decisions.
Poghosyan is also amazed that till today neither the president nor the prime minister has reacted to the issue.
Staff with the “One Nation, One Culture” Fund have written letters of resignation, she added.
Photo: usahayer.com