Powers at Play: Deputy Head of the State Revenue Committee Artem Simbatsyan's Mother-in-Law Accumulates Wealth Alongside Son-in-Law's Career Progression

The financial circumstances of Artem Simbatsyan, Deputy Head of the State Revenue Committee, have significantly improved in recent years, particularly through his mother-in-law, Karine Hambaryan, who works as an accountant. Notably, this expansion of Hambaryan's assets coincides with the upward career trajectory of her son-in-law within the state system.

As reported by CivilNet, Karine Hambaryan had only one residential house registered in her name until 2019, which she inherited, but she has since acquired an additional residential property in the Ajapnyak administrative district, as well as an apartment in the same area. However, the most impressive of her registered properties is a two-story apartment purchased on Abovyan Street in Yerevan.

Before 2018, Artem Simbatsyan worked as an operational officer in the operational-investigative department of the State Revenue Committee. After the revolution, he held various positions in the Ministry of Health from July to December 2018. During that period, it was reported that he did not meet the requirements necessary to be the chief secretary of the Ministry of Health. Following this role, he was appointed as the deputy minister of health, serving for two years, and in August 2021, he became the Deputy Head of the State Revenue Committee.

Karine Hambaryan, Simbatsyan’s mother-in-law, serves as an accountant in four institutions under the Yerevan city municipality. She is the accountant for the Misaq Metsarents School No. 146, the A. Tsitsikyan Music School No. 2, and also holds accounting positions at the “Zartonk” aesthetic education facility and Yerevan Kindergarten No. 49.

Hambaryan is politically active as well; she was on the list of the ruling Civil Contract party during the parliamentary snap elections on June 20, 2021, holding the 138th position. According to the declarations submitted to the Central Electoral Commission, her annual income from these four municipal institutions amounted to 417,000 dram per month.

Before 2019, according to documents from the Cadastre Committee, Hambaryan owned a house on Mirakyan Street in Ajapnyak inherited from her family. In May 2019, she signed a purchase agreement with Ruben and Mariam Manukyan and acquired another house adjacent to her inherited one, with an area of 120 square meters, including a 17 square meter garage and a wall, for 14 million dram. The sale price per square meter of the residential house alone was 116,000 dram.

In July 2020, Hambaryan, along with her daughter Mary Mkrtchyan, purchased an apartment from a developer on Tsitsernakaberd Highway for 25.8 million dram, measuring 62 square meters. They took a loan from the Haybusinessbank for this apartment.

In March 2021, Hambaryan purchased another apartment in Yerevan's center on Abovyan Street for 86.6 million dram. This apartment, along with its basement, has a total area of 128 square meters. She paid the full amount at the time of contract validation.

The apartment on Abovyan Street was sold to Hambaryan by Shavarsh Grigoryan, an advisor to the head of the State Revenue Committee, Rustam Badasyan. Grigoryan had bought the apartment himself just a year earlier at a cost of 79.2 million dram and reportedly took a loan from Mellat Bank for this transaction, which he paid off within eight months.

When asked about his mother-in-law's purchase of the apartment on Abovyan Street, Simbatsyan stated that he had no involvement in the deal. He expressed that he had a close relationship with Grigoryan and had simply passed along contact information between the two parties. He affirmed that he and his family were temporarily using the apartment, as he currently owns no property.

Simbatsyan assured that these details would be reflected in his annual declaration of assets and income for 2022.