From the Head of the Food Safety Inspection Agency to Shirak's Deputy Governor: What Property Does Artush Hovhannisyan Own?

Shirak's Deputy Governor Artush Hovhannisyan was appointed on January 23, just days after acquiring a new apartment. But what was Hovhannisyan engaged in before becoming deputy governor?

From 2016 to 2019, Hovhannisyan served as a leading specialist in the Department of Housing and Infrastructure Activities at the Shirak Regional Administration. From 2019 to 2020, he was an expert at the Shirak Regional Center of the Food Safety Inspection Agency, and from 2020 to 2024, he worked as the acting head of the same center, where he perhaps spent the longest duration.

His wife, Hayastan Hovhannisyan, serves as the director of the Gyumri No. 41 Primary School. It raises questions about whether her husband's position plays a role here or not.

What property does the current deputy governor possess? The Shirak deputy governor has presented a declaration of property, income, expenses, and interests as of the day he assumed office. According to this declaration, since 2007, he has owned a residential apartment and a garage in Yerevan, and on January 8, 2025, he acquired an apartment in Gyumri.

He has not declared any vehicles, bank deposits, or expensive items. His cash assets at the time of the declaration amounted to 8,000 USD, 3.8 million rubles, and 4 million drams.

His income for the reporting year amounted to 244,000 drams, which he earned before becoming deputy governor. The remaining principal on loans and borrowings at the time of assuming office was 916,000 drams.

In the media, it was noted that Hovhannisyan became recognizable during the coronavirus years when he visited food establishments accompanied by journalists. It is said that his appointment as deputy governor was not a surprise as it had been discussed for a long time. According to reports, he is a close friend of the Shirak governor.

It should be noted that the other deputy governor of Shirak is Albert Ayvazyan, who has been serving since the administration of Nazeli Baghdasaryan and was a long-time village mayor of Arapi.