Will There Be an Investigation into the Assets of Avinyan and Alen Simonian's Relatives? Pashinyan Responds

Excluding compromise, any instance of corruption will be addressed by our system, stated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a meeting with journalists today, January 10, addressing the question about the business interests of Yerevan's Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinyan and his relatives.

Reports have emerged that friends of Avinyan have started a cannabis production business, and Avinyan's mother has acquired large plots of land in the Armavir region. Furthermore, Alen Simonian's brother continues to win road construction tenders. The question was raised whether legal processes have started concerning the assets of these individuals.

Pashinyan emphasized, "There cannot be any publication that does not attract the attention of law enforcement agencies. Does Alen Simonian's brother have the right to work anywhere? What should he do for a living? One of the companies belonging to the family members of one of the opposition leaders in Armenia wins the most tenders, and we're not against that. Today, we have a problem with construction workers in Armenia, and we ask people to come, participate in the auctions, and win."

The Prime Minister questioned whether Tigran Avinyan's family had engaged in any activities prior to 2018, to which the journalist responded that they had, but had become wealthy after 2018.

Pashinyan continued, "There is an opportunity to produce industrial cannabis. You know others who cannot attract support; they want to engage in this activity but can't. There are members of my family who left Armenia after the 2018 revolution because if they were deputies, it would be said they became deputies, if they were businessmen it would be said they were engaged in business, if they were unemployed it would be said they didn’t work, and if they were employed, it would be claimed it was a case of sponsorship."

Referring to the public procurement system, media reports indicate that 'Euroasphalt', a company run by Alen Simonian's brother, has been winning state million-dollar competitions by only a few thousand drams. The asphalt company, which has been in operation for two years, has already signed competitive contracts worth about 2.5 billion drams with the state.

'Euroasphalt' has won tenders for road repair work organized by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures.

Moreover, the assets of Vahan Naribekyan, the Chief of Staff of the National Assembly, have been highlighted by hetq.am, pointing out that his company 'Argavand Furniture' has signed a total of 13 contracts with various state bodies, four of which were through a single-person procedure, i.e., without a tender. Since 2018, Vahan Naribekyan's brother's company, 'Damkar', has also been actively participating in state procurement tenders.