Prosecutor-General Anna Vardapetian, who previously worked as a legal adviser to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, will be the biggest beneficiary of the measure criticized by opposition lawmakers. Her monthly wage will rise to at least 2.5 million drams ($6,400).
Other prosecutors will earn the average of 1.5 million drams per month. The average monthly wage in Armenia currently stands at about 236,000 ($605) drams, according to government data.
Presenting a relevant government bill to the parliament, Deputy Justice Minister Levon Balian said the sharp pay rise will discourage prosecutors from taking bribes or succumbing to other “external pressures.” Balian said it will also reward them for their “excessive workload.”
Opposition parliamentarians dismissed that explanation, saying that the Armenian government simply wants to buy senior law-enforcement officials’ loyalty. One of those lawmakers, Artsvik Minasian, noted that Vardapetian will be earning even more than the country’s president and prime minister.
Law-enforcement bodies have for years been accused by the Armenian opposition of executing government orders to prosecute Pashinian’s political opponents. They have denied that.
A random street poll of Yerevan residents conducted by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service found little support for the drastic increase in the prosecutors’ wages.
“They had better buy weapons with that money,” said one man.
“Our army is in dire straits now. So defense is definitely our top priority,” agreed another.
Another citizen echoed the opposition claims about political motives behind the measure.
“They are fighting to cling to power,” he said of the current authorities. “There is nothing else. When Nikol Pashinian came to power in 2018 he was saying that he stands with the poor. But what is the status of the poor now?”