Manicures at the State’s Expense: How Much Armenian Taxpayers Pay for the Everyday Comfort of Pashinyan’s Family

More than AMD 621 million is spent annually from the state budget on maintaining Armenia’s government residences. Calculated on a daily basis, this exceeds AMD 1.7 million. But this amount is not spent solely on the maintenance and security of the residences, utility payments, and upkeep of the surrounding areas. As Hraparak has found, through the “Government Residences Management” SNCO, the personal needs of the families of high-ranking officials are also covered, including the manicure and pedicure expenses of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s wife and daughters.

“168.am.” How Cheap Russian Gas Is Sold to the Population in Armenia at a Price Nearly 2.2 Times Higher

Amid discussions surrounding a possible increase in the price of imported gas, 168.am has addressed Armenia’s gas tariff policy, presenting how Russian gas purchased at a preferential price at the border reaches the population at a price nearly twice as high, while substantially lower tariffs apply to certain sectors of the economy.

“CivilNet.” The Volume of Gambling in Armenia Has Increased 53-Fold in 8 Years: The True Scale of Gambling Addiction Is Unknown

According to a study by CivilNet, the online gambling market in Armenia continues to expand rapidly. In 2017, the volume of internet betting was AMD 138.5 billion, while in 2025 it had already reached AMD 7.4 trillion. Over eight years, it increased by approximately 53 times. In the first eight months of 2026, the amount of betting reached AMD 5.4 trillion.

Yerevan Municipality Appropriated “Multi Wellness” Property

According to a publication by Pastinfo, Yerevan Municipality has changed its official position regarding the property of the “Multi Wellness” sports and wellness center owned by Gagik Tsarukyan. While in July the municipality confirmed that the gym’s movable property had been entrusted to it for safekeeping and was not community property, it now claims that the gym belongs to the municipality.

Hetq: Armenian State and Media Websites in a Gambling Advertising Network

An investigation by Hetq has revealed that a number of Armenian state, media, and cultural websites have come under the control of an international network advertising online casinos. Among them are the former website of the Artsakh Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Artsakh Legal Information System, the former website of the National Archives of Armenia, and the parliamentmonitoring.am platform covering the activities of members of parliament.

News.am: The Budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Will Increase by Around 3.4 Billion Drams in 2027

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Armenia is expected to receive 22 billion 515 million drams from the 2027 state budget, 3 billion 389 million drams more than the amount allocated for the current year.

Arpine Hovhannisyan: Bank executives receive hundreds of millions of drams annually, but banks do not provide information on expenditures for protecting citizens’ financial funds

The remuneration of bank executives in Armenia can reach hundreds of millions of drams annually, while citizens have no information about how much financial institutions spend on protecting their money from fraudsters. This issue was raised by lawyer and former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Arpine Hovhannisyan, who presented the responses to her inquiries addressed to Armenia’s 18 banks.

“Radio Liberty”: Chinese-Arab-Armenian Consortium Wins Tender for Yerevan Waste Processing Plant

A consortium comprising China’s China Western Power Industrial, Armenia’s Mashtab Consultancy, and the Arab company MASAR has been declared the winner of the tender for the construction of a waste processing plant in Yerevan. “Radio Liberty” reports this, presenting its investigation into the tender participants and the winning companies.

“Aravot”: How Much Does One Day of the Prime Minister’s Life Cost? Edgar Ghazaryan Questions Lilit Makunts

During the parliamentary discussion of the draft 2027 state budget, Edgar Ghazaryan, an MP from the “Strong Armenia” faction, demanded that Lilit Makunts, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, clarify how much money from the state budget is spent on matters related to Nikol Pashinyan’s personal lifestyle and preferences.

Edgar Ghazaryan on the Government’s $80 Million in Unplanned Spending and Pension Increases Ahead of the Elections

During the discussion of the 2027 state budget in the National Assembly, MP Edgar Ghazaryan demanded that a representative of the Ministry of Finance explain on what legal and economic basis the government had allocated around $80 million for pension increases without having planned this expenditure in advance in the budget or discussing it with the National Assembly.

Factor TV: AMD 442 million for stadium designs, €52 million for organizing construction — the government chose the same company in both cases

As part of the program to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Armenia and Georgia in 2029, the Armenian government has entrusted the design and organization of the construction of stadiums in Vanadzor and in the Getahovit settlement of Ijevan community to the Slovak company “VenueEra Holding.” The total value of the contracts for designing the two stadiums is AMD 442 million 193 thousand, while the company has submitted a preliminary price proposal of more than €52 million for organizing the procurement of the construction works.

Hetq: The State Is Demanding Millions of Drams and Interest Back from Beneficiaries Who Failed the “Smart” Livestock Barns Programme

The government-initiated state support programme for the construction of small and medium-sized “smart” livestock barns, launched in 2019, has produced significantly fewer results than planned. Between 2019 and 2021, the state intended to construct or reconstruct 230 livestock barns under the programme, but by 2025, only 58 had been built. The reimbursements provided to farms failed to ensure the programme's intended progress, and the Ministry of Economy is now attempting, through the courts, to recover the millions of drams allocated from the state budget.

“Hetq”: AMD 46.5 million spent on Etchmiadzin’s 2,711th anniversary celebrations: AMD 6.6 million for Eric, AMD 4.4 million for Iveta Mukuchyan

After the celebrations marking Etchmiadzin’s 2,711th anniversary, the Vagharshapat Municipality has still not published a complete financial report on the events. Instead, separate decisions have been appearing on the municipality’s official website under backdated dates, revealing how much was paid from the municipal budget to singers, organizations, and service providers.

“Hraparak Daily”: The Increase in Passport and ID Card Fees Will Place an Additional Annual Burden of Around 4 Billion Drams on Citizens

Obtaining an identity document in Armenia could turn into a significant financial expense for ordinary citizens. As a result of the new tariffs for passports and identity cards, citizens will be forced to pay several times more than before for their documents. According to a publication by Hraparak Daily, the additional expenses for the population resulting from the price increases could exceed 40 billion drams over a ten-year period.

The Accumulated Pension Funds of Deceased Individuals Are Transferred to the State Budget: Heirs Often Do Not Even Know About Their Rights

The money accumulated in the funded pension accounts of deceased citizens may be transferred to the state budget because heirs do not apply to the Central Depository in time and often do not even know that their relative had such an account. An investigation by Hetq shows that the current regulations do not provide a sufficient notification mechanism for heirs. As a result, a person may lose the funds accumulated by a deceased relative without ever learning of their existence.

Edgar Ghazaryan Reminded the Civil Contract Candidate of the Stories Involving $100 Million, “Euroasphalt” and Ishkhan Zakaryan

During the discussion in the National Assembly of the candidacy of Karen Arustamyan, nominated by the Civil Contract party for the position of a member of the Audit Chamber, MP Edgar Ghazaryan harshly criticised the authorities' personnel policy, recalling a number of high-profile stories which, in his assessment, should be of interest to the body responsible for overseeing public finances.

The Civil Contract Government’s “In-Laws, Acquaintances and Relatives” Network: Officials’ Relatives in State-Owned Companies, Millions in Salaries at the Expense of the State System

Under the rule of the Civil Contract government, the distribution of positions in state-owned and state-participated companies increasingly resembles a closed system of party connections and family acquaintances.

Papoyan Appoints Pashinyan’s Former Assistant as Manager of Araratcement; Corruption Prevention Commission Finds No Conflict of Interest

The appointment of Davit Gevorgyan as manager of the state-owned Araratcement is another reason to question the transparency of Nikol Pashinyan’s team’s personnel policy, particularly when it comes to the management of state assets.

“Zhoghovurd” Daily Newspaper: Trial in High-Profile Corruption Case at the Ministry of Economy Suspended

“Hetq”: What Property Have the Candidates for the Stepanavan Council of Elders Declared?

Of the 156 candidates participating in the Stepanavan Council of Elders elections, 45 declared that they had no income during the reporting period, while 62 reported having no savings. At the same time, the candidates’ declarations include tens of millions of drams in income, numerous real estate properties, and expensive cars. “Hetq” has examined the declarations submitted to the Central Electoral Commission to determine what assets are held by representatives of the political forces competing to become members of the community’s Council of Elders.