Ararat Mirzoyan Renovates His Government Summer Residence in Luxury

The newspaper 'Hraparak' reports that since May 15, Speaker of the National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan has moved with his family to the government summer residence. However, in order for the Speaker and his family to live in royal conditions befitting high society, extensive renovations have been ongoing for several months in their residence.

Government sources informed us that Mirzoyan has spent a significant amount—reaching 'astronomical figures'—on the renovation of his apartment. To verify the accuracy of this information, and to determine if it might be concocted by Mirzoyan’s adversaries, we sought clarification from Areg Savgulyan, the director of the Kondi Cottages State Non-Commercial Organization, regarding how much public budget was spent on the renovation of the residence allocated to Mirzoyan.

However, Savgulyan did not provide a specific figure but proudly announced that this information is considered a state secret and cannot be disclosed. He stated that this is enshrined in the 'Law on Purchases.' In short, the government is keeping secret the costs of the Speaker's house renovation, which are being covered by us, the taxpayers, while referring to the 'Law on Purchases.'

Article 15, paragraph 2 of that law states: 'Purchases that contain state secrets include those necessary for ensuring national security, protocol expenditures, accommodation, food, and transport services for high-ranking officials, as well as special technical and programmatic requirements for military equipment, armaments, and military-technical means.' This legislative change was made in December 2015 under the new government, which was deeply rejected by the previous authorities. At that time, the legislative alteration was considered tantamount to state betrayal—a conspiracy against one’s own people. Numerous publications were made in vain, as the government pushed through this amendment.

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