Mayor's Wife Interferes in Competition: Appointing Their 'Man' as Director, David Khajakyan

The director's competition of the Greenery Foundation of Yerevan has concluded, with two participants, Ara Aghayan and David Melikyan, recognized as winners. Commenting on the competition results and whom the mayor will ultimately choose, David Khajakyan, a member of the 'Lus' faction, stated in an interview with LURER.com, "There are rumors that one of the recognized winners in the competition is a relative of someone holding a position in the municipality. However, I believe that this matter is not so significant at the moment because if we consider how many people participated in the first round compared to now, and taking into account the changes in the commission, it's already safe to say that the competition's impartiality is in question."

It should be noted that Khajakyan is referring to Ara Aghayan, who is a former advisor to the mayor and a friend of judge Karen Hambartsumyan. It is also important to mention that the members of the 'Lus' faction had pointed to several violations even before the conclusion of the competition.

The media reports that the acting director of the 'Greenery and Environmental Protection' non-governmental organization was Armen Begoyan. According to widely circulated information on the internet, Mayor Hayk Marutyan and his wife, Iva Marutyan, wanted to remove him at any cost, which they seemingly succeeded in achieving. The fact is that before being appointed to this position, Begoyan held the position of director at the 'Center for the Rescuing Stray Animals' NGO, and due to his 'brilliant' work, he was transferred to the acting director role of the 'Greenery' NGO, with prospects of becoming the director.

However, it appears that the relationship between the mayor's wife and Begoyan began to sour; he had disagreements with the Marutyan family, after which his ambitions for appointment as director of the greenery foundation vanished into thin air. The mayor's wife then decided to hold a competition and appoint the person she wanted to this position. Prior to this, rumors had circulated that the mayor's wife had gone and demanded a resignation request from the acting director.