There are certain suspects concerning the improper use of the credit worth of $30 million given by the World Bank in 2000 and the government’s subsidy worth of $5 million for improving the water supply system. British engineer Bruce Tasker is making sensational discoveries. Recently the “Observer”, a British outlet, informed that Tasker called on the WB to investigate the violations concerning the mentioned program. He said that when he started checking the details, “he found out that corruption was everywhere from the bottom to the top, from the beginning to the end and it didn’t concern several thousands dollars, but dozens of millions”. In 2003-2004 Tasker worked in the parliamentary commission on supervising the effectiveness of foreign grants, human aids and credits and has substantially been introduced to the entire program for improving the water supply system. However, last Friday the head of the WB Yerevan office, Aristomene Varudakis told to “168 Zham” that despite all the difficulties and problems they “think that the program for development of communities has been implemented successfully and there are no references alleging corruption and ineffective management”. Varudakis has said the same to the RA prime minister too. Initially the impression was that just after finishing his work in the commission Tasker had left from Armenia. However, yesterday the British engineer came to our editorial office and presented some facts concerning the violations in the program. The head of the commission, NA vice speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan got introduced with Tasker during an occasion organized by the British Embassy in Armenia, and later in October, 2003, he suggested to work in the commission as the general analyst. The commission was found in September of the same year and, as its name shows, it was founded for the purpose of supervising the effectiveness of foreign grants, human aids and credits. Some time later V. Hovhannisyan, basing on the complaints received from citizens, suggested Tasker to check the implementation of the credit program for improving the water supply system of Yerevan.
“I started studying that program starting from January 10, 2004, and found numerous examples of violations till the end of February,” tells Mr. Tasker, “The WB financing was done through the program for development of communities. The WB credit was given to the RA government, represented by the ministry of finances and economy, which had to make a contract with that program implementation office and provide that money through that office. The stamp of the program implementation office in the sub-credit agreement was false. The program implementation office had not been founded upon the execution of the mentioned agreement yet and it was founded shortly after the execution of that agreement. I informed about this and such other examples the commission, i.e. V. Hovhannisyan”.
In order to receive that $35 million the water supplying company of Yerevan (WSC) had to give a pledge corresponding to that value to the ministry of finances. The condition of the WB was that the WSC pledged its real and personal properties. However, according to Mr. Tasker they received the credit without pledging the mentioned properties. It is worth mentioning that the authorized representative of Italian “A Utility” company, Richard Walkling, was at the same time acting as the general director of WSC. This fact does correspond with any of the rules of the WB. This means that violations took place in that program just from the very beginning. At that time the head of the WB Yerevan office was Roger Robinson, and the head of the water economy state committee was Gagik Martirosyan. After these three violations the commission invited Robinson and Martirosyan for discussion. “On February 27 Robinson and Gagik Martirosyan came. I hadn’t been able to introduce the violations yet and Robinson got angry at me for intimidating and started shouting in English and said that it wasn’t my business,” says Tasker, “I expected that Martirosyan would quarrel with me too, however, it was surprising but he agreed with the fact that they had taken credit without the corresponding pledge. He promised to correct that mistake and provide the pledge”. To note, in several days after that meeting Martirosyan was fired.
Tasker also informed about many other such violations and said that at beginning V. Hovhannisyan was supporting him and was waiting for new facts. In March, 2004, Mr. Hovhannisyan made a harsh critical statement concerning the work of the commission and the violations and made a speech in the National Assembly; he spoke about several violations, informed about the false contract with the program implementation office and promised to bring details after finishing the financial analysis. However, during the past 3-4 years Mr. Hovhannisyan has not spoken about those discovered violations. We wander why Tasker hasn’t spoken about the violations too.
“I understood that it was impossible to do anything; nothing could be changed,” says the British engineer and doesn’t exclude that there may be problems with him after discovering those facts.
In mid January, 2005, Tasker decided to submit a renovation program for about 795 pump stations in Yerevan, which would help to save energy and supply water to block houses with effectiveness. The program was submitted to the directors of the two water economy program implementation offices (Varazdat Avoyan and Adibek Ghazaryan). The program was approved by the representatives of the WB and the state water supplying committee without any problems. Tasker says that everything was normal since the general director of WSC was Garnik Alexanyan in that period, and R. Walkling was his adviser. Tasker says the main obstacle for his program was Walkling as the British engineer had discovered the violations done by him. Besides that, Walkling wanted to finish the job started by Tasker himself. Later, in January, 2007, also Serge Popoff, the director of French company “Viola”, which had leased WSC, announced that they were going to implement a program to build 500 pump stations. Tasker says that the WSC and the new Lessee have “privatized” the program submitted by him.
In order to protect his rights Tasker sent a package of facts proving the mentioned violations to GAP in Washington (human rights and free speech organization). The GAP accepted that document, discussed and applied to the institutional discipline department of the WB on March 29. The British “Observer” was informed by them too that Tasker accused the bank in violations. “Since April the GAP is wandering why no one had come from the WB to find out information about those claims,” says Tasker.
By informing about the above said facts Mr. Tasker assures that he has the necessary documents to prove. Besides that, he painfully says that prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was given wrong information about his actions. “I have never applied to the Italian “A Utility” or French “Yerevan Water” companies to get a job,” says the engineer, “The prime minister was given wrong information about it, which is the reason why last week he said that I was offended and was making wrong announcements. I just wanted to implement my projects. Now I am ready to submit all the facts that I have to the Armenian government as I have submitted to the GAP”.
P.S. 168 “Zham” is ready to publish also the explanations of the World Bank, the program implementation office, the state water supply committee and other interested institutions concerning the announcements of Bruce Tasker.