Today Yerevan hosted the jubilee 10th session of the Anti-Corruption Interstate Council.

The members of the Council are: the Prosecutors General of the Republic of Armenia, Russian Federation, Belarus and the Kyrgyz Republic, National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan; and the Director of the Agency for State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption of Tajikistan.

The Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan, the Director of the Agency for State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption of Tajikistan, the Acting President of the Anti-Corruption Interstate Council Sulaymon Sultanzoda, the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Pyotr Gorodov, the First Deputy of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ali Altinbaev, the Prosecutor General of Kyrgyz Republic Maksat Asanaliev,  the Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan Akmal Burkhanov, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Belarus Sergey Khmaruk, the representative of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States Igor Malashevich, Representative of the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS Member States Yulia Denisova and others.

Anna Vardapetyan welcomed the heads of the delegations taking part in the 10th Anti-Corruption Interstate Council in Yerevan, thanked for their finding spare time and accepting her invitation despite the workload and emphasized that after a 7-year break the capital of Armenia is hosting delegations from the member states of the Council.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan welcomed the delegations participating in the Session and emphasized that started from the formation of the Council, the members of the Council have managed to establish a stable dialogue based on mutual respect. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Interstate Anti-Corruption Council is one of the most important sectoral bodies of the CIS, which plays a key role in ensuring law and order, strengthening cooperation between the CIS member states, coordinating joint actions and forming priority areas of cooperation. “The tenth session is not another stage. This is a good opportunity to assess the achievements, summarize the outcomes and define the areas of further cooperation and activities of the Council,” the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic noted and added that Armenia, assuming the presidency of the Council, will continue with dignity the path of strengthening anti-corruption partnership, ensure the on-going implementation of previously reached agreements and will have a significant investment in the joint initiatives.

Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan touched upon the cases of legalization of illegal incomes received in the result of corruption crimes (money laundering), noting that effective financial investigation plays a crucial role in revealing criminal schemes and criminals to justice. "In recent years, the volume of money laundering, a phenomenon of transnational nature, has increased. Cases of legalization of illicit assets, including their transfer abroad, have multiplied, that’s why we have intensified our efforts to combat corruption," the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia emphasized and presented the actions and outcomes carried out by the Armenian side in this direction.     

Anna Vardapetyan referred to the Unified Account for Recovered Funds, launched on December 5, 2024, noting that as of today, an amount exceeding AMD 20 billion, equivalent to 52 million 254 thousand US dollars, has been deposited into the account. “In addition, over the past 3 years, within the framework of the powers to confiscate property of illegal origin, 9 reconciliation agreements have been signed, as a result of which property equivalent to about 13.5 million US dollars has been returned to the state, In the framework of the powers to protect state and community interests, property equivalent to 30.6 million US dollars has been recovered during the same period,” Anna Vardapetyan informed and presented an example of a criminal scheme revealed as a result of effective cooperation and assistance with foreign partners.

The Chairman of the Agency for State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption of Tajikistan, Sulaymon Sultonzoda, thanked the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia for organizing the Council session in Yerevan at a high level, and presented the outcomes and achievements of the Council's activities over the past year.

Following the session, the Chairmanship of the Interstate Anti-Corruption Council was assumed by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Armenia, and the Chair became the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan.

During the session, Anna Vardapetyan was awarded with the medal for Contribution to the Interstate Anti-Corruption Council and the jubilee medal 10th Session of the Interstate Anti-Corruption Council.

Let us remind you that he Anti-Corruption Interstate Council was established on the basis of the Agreement on the formation of the Interstate Anti-Corruption Council dated October 25, 2013, signed by the heads of six CIS member states. It functions as a sectoral cooperation body of the CIS and reports to the Council of Heads of State of the CIS.