Before Resignation, Thorosyan's Ministry Signed Major Contract with His Wife's Company

Before being dismissed from his position as Armenia’s Minister of Health and assuming the role of head of the Prime Minister's Office, Arsen Thorosyan had managed to sign another contract worth a total of 72 million 680 thousand drams with his wife, Vardanush Tevanyan, who is the director of MIBS Company. This information was reported by Irakanum.am.

The contract was signed on December 28, 2020, and MIBS is set to provide hospital services. It is noteworthy that Arsen Thorosyan led MIBS from 2011-2015 and 2016-2018, and following the revolution, his wife became the director of the center.

Last year, following the noise surrounding further acquisitions, the Anti-Corruption Committee initiated proceedings against Arsen Thorosyan on the grounds of a perceived conflict of interest. Between 2019 and 2020, the ministry entered into five agreements with MIBS for the provision of paid services totaling 124 million drams.

The Anti-Corruption Committee published a conclusion at the end of 2020, stating that there was no conflict of interest in the contracts signed between the Ministry of Health and the company led by Arsen Thorosyan’s wife. The committee noted that “as a result of orders issued by Arsen Thorosyan, property transactions were also made with other medical institutions under the same criteria and requirements, hence these orders affected a wide range of individuals, which legally constitutes a circumstance that excludes a conflict of interest. This means that in such cases, a public official is not guided by personal interests of himself or any connected persons, if the action or decision has universal applicability or affects a large number of individuals.”

The committee published the conclusion on November 30, 2020. Days later, Thorosyan's ministry signed yet another contract with Vardanush Tevanyan. In 2021, MIBS is expected to provide medical assistance and services.