Donors to the Civil Contract Party Unaware of Their Contributions: Civilnet

“Are you kidding?” responded Lilit Haroyan, a member of the Charentsavan council, when a journalist informed her that she had made a significant donation to her party, the Civil Contract Party, in 2022. The donation of 1 million drams was particularly notable since, according to Lilit's declaration, she had no income that year. This information was reported by Civilnet.

“This is the first time I’m hearing about this [donation],” she said.

Lilit is not alone. An investigation by Civilnet in partnership with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed that many individuals who reportedly donated to the party claimed they had never made such contributions.

The Civil Contract Party came to power in 2018 with the slogan of eradicating corruption, riding the wave of a popular movement that overthrew the previous regime. However, a number of intriguing patterns discovered by journalists in the party's 2022 financial report raise questions about the sources of its funding.

Out of 140 donors listed by the party in 2022, all but six were candidates from the Civil Contract Party in the 2022 local self-government elections. Of the 31 donors, 15 denied having contributed money. Others evaded responses or said they did not remember, while some stated they were too busy to address the question.

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