After the 'Shower' Incident, 4 Out of 5 Employees Have Been Dismissed

Following the well-known 'shower' incident, the Organizational Department of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS) has been vacated, leaving only one employee, Ara Khachatryan. The other four specialists have left. Only one of them, the head of the department, Armen Avetisyan, was dismissed by ministerial decree.

The incident dates back to January 5, when Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited a school in the village of Aragats, Armavir, and removed the showerhead from the gym's shower, questioning the minister Zhanna Andreasyan about its price. It later emerged that the documented cost of the shower, which was officially priced at 5,000 drams, was around 72,000 drams.

After the incident, a service investigation was launched against Armen Avetisyan, which resulted in his dismissal. Avetisyan has since filed a lawsuit against the minister, claiming that the decision was illegal, as he believes he was not involved in the procurement process for the shower.

According to the 'Datalex' information system, he is seeking to invalidate the minister's decree regarding his dismissal, which he asserts is a disciplinary measure. He is also demanding compensation for lost average wages during his suspension, along with his reinstatement. If that is deemed impossible, he requests to be assigned to another equivalent position. The preliminary court hearing is scheduled for April 30 in the administrative court.

After Avetisyan's dismissal, his responsibilities were assigned to his deputy, who, however, did not wish to continue in the role and submitted a resignation letter. The deputy, along with two other chief specialists from the department, also filed for resignation.