The Culprit of Mane Tandilyan's Accident: 'Hraparak'

'Hraparak' newspaper reports: 'We found out that 2-3 months ago, in October, the Toyota Camry vehicle serving Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mane Tandilyan was involved in an accident. Notably, in this case, the one at fault for the accident was none other than the minister herself, Ms. Tandilyan. It was not possible to speak with her, as she replied to calls with a message stating that she could not talk, suggesting to write her a message on Facebook, but she did not respond to that message either. The accident occurred in Yerevan at the intersection of Amiryan and Zakyan streets. Incidentally, what is remarkable here is not so much the fact of the accident but that the minister was behind the wheel.

It turns out that Mane Tandilyan does not employ a driver, supposedly for financial savings. More accurately, her driver, who had been with her for many years and had previously served various ministers, including former minister Artem Asatryan, left her employment about two months after working with her. After that, Mane Tandilyan did not hire a new driver to save money, but it appears that her accident has cost the state more than any savings she intended to make.

How did she manage without a driver? Very simply, with the help of deputy ministers and other ministry drivers. We were informed that she asked one of them to drive her vehicle each time. However, very often she took the car keys from a driver who had transported her partway and sent the driver back on foot, turning it into a scenario reminiscent of the famous anecdote: 'I don’t know who the owner was, but the driver was the minister.'

Due to Tandilyan's peculiar habit, the ministry’s drivers complained and sometimes refused to go on long trips with her, fearing they could reach the end of the world and then be sent back on foot by the minister while she kept the vehicle. The reasons behind Tandilyan's decision to dismiss her drivers mid-journey and where she went afterward with the service vehicle have raised speculations. The accident likely occurred during one of those instances where she sent the driver home and took the wheel herself.