Naira Zohrabyan suggests inquiring into financial frauds by wife of ex Finance Minister

 During parliamentary hearings of Armenia's draft budget 2015 on Friday MP from Prosperous Armenia Party Naira Zohrabyan asked Labor and Social Security Minister Artyom Asatryan about the legislative changes planned in the maternity allowance system. 

She said that under the former Government, Prosperous Armenia suggested paying maternity allowance to unemployed mothers but the Government said that it was a populist initiative. 

"Today's government thinks otherwise and we are glad that all mothers in Armenia will be protected. But here we have the problem of corruption. Not every woman in Armenia is the wife of a minister. For example, the wife of the ex Finance Minister got 20mln AMD when she came back from maternity leave," Zohrabyan said.
She meant the wife of ex Finance Minister David Sargsyan, financial ombudsman Piruz Sargsyan.

To remind, the National Social Security Service suggests paying maternity allowance to all women. In 2016 the Government is planning to budget additional 8bln AMD for this purpose. On the other hand, the Service suggests that the size of the allowance should depend on the length of service: 40% of the wage for less than one year in office, 60% for 1-3 years and 80% for more than 80%. In any case, the maternity allowance should not be bigger than five minimum wages.