ArmInfo. I can't speak 100% for anyone other than myself, but at this point the charges filed and what I know allows me to say there is nothing illegal about what we did. Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan stated in an interview with Public Television, speaking about the criminal case against his deputy Ani Ispiryan.
In addition, he ruled out negligence in the actions of Ministry
employees in implementing the tender program, which was the reason
for the start of investigative proceedings in the department. The
minister noted that the charges brought against him have no basis.
"They say "obvious corruption", but they don't specify what type;
whether it was a bribe or not. Moreover, in this case, there can be
no question of spending budget funds," he said.
According to Kerobyan, the fight against corruption is a priority for
the government. He noted in this regard that Armenia was included in
the list of countries that improved their performance in the
Corruption Perceptions Index. However, it states that important
reforms have been carried out at the legal level, but in the context
of application, 'we're treading in place'.
"That is, we need to increase indictments, rather than arrests. If
their number is growing, then we must thank our investigative
authorities. But if not, we need to pay attention to those who
initiated the case," said the head of the department.
Kerobyan noted that the accusations brought forward may naturally
cause doubts and mistrust among the public, but he urged not to make
hasty conclusions. "I am sure that all processes took place within
the framework of the law," he emphasized.
If Ani Ispiryan's guilt is confirmed, the Minister of Economy stated
that he is ready to take responsibility and present his decision and
position on this issue to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Today, by the decision of Yerevan Anti-Corruption Court, former
Deputy Minister of Economy Ani Ispiryan was sentenced to two months
of house arrest.
The decision was made within the framework of a high-profile case
involving officials of the RA Ministry of Economy. Earlier it became
known about the arrest of the director of the Synergy company Ashot
Hovhannisyan and wife of the brother of the Speaker of the Parliament
of Armenia Anya Gevorgyan. On February 1, the Investigative
Committee of Armenia announced the detention of 7 people after
searches in the country's Ministry of Economy, six of whom, including
officials of the RA Ministry of Economy, are involved in the case of
the so-called Bank of State Investment Projects, and one as part of a
fraud in the implementation of the intensive gardening program.
According to the materials of the case, the suspects set such
conditions so that the company that offered a price offer of 392
million drams (three times more than the competitor) was recognized
as the winner in the competition for the establishment of the Bank of
State Investment Projects. In the second case, information was
obtained that an official of the Ministry of Economy, without reason,
facilitated the transfer of 238,418,100 drams, which were embezzled,
to the accounts of farmers who did not provide the relevant documents
and were engaged in intensive gardens.
Let us also note that at the end of December, Deputy Minister of
Economy Ani Ispiryan (she held the position of Deputy Minister of
Economy from September 14, 2021 and was dismissed on January 30 of
this year) was elected to the post of Chair of the Board of Directors
of the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) CJSC.
