«Kin-Friends-Relations»: Gnel Sanosyan's Wife Works in the Ministry Led by Her Husband

«Jamoody» newspaper reports: «The phenomenon of placing relatives and acquaintances in jobs continues in the New Armenia. Even Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated regarding the placement of relatives: 'There is a law on Civil Service, and we will do everything to ensure that no government comes and places their own people into the state governance system. Now the question is: has this promise been fulfilled? Yes, it has been fully, 100% fulfilled.'

But, as with many other matters, Pashinyan's statement and the Armenian reality are significantly different. The latest example is Gnel Sanosyan, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, whose wife, Rouzanna Tonoyan, works in the ministry led by her husband.

The ministry informed «Jamoody» that Rouzanna Tonoyan has been employed in the document circulation department as a specialist for two years. And importantly, the ministry emphasized that the minister's wife was hired in this department back in 2020, before Gnel Sanosyan's appointment. However, it still represents a conflict of interest, as it is not excluded that the minister's wife may receive preferential treatment from her superiors.