“Hraparak”: Ministry of Defense procurement and construction works at the center of Anti-Corruption Committee criminal proceedings
In its January 29, 2025 publication, the daily newspaper “Hraparak” addressed criminal proceedings related to the activities of the Ministry of Defense, presenting information about possible abuses identified during public procurement and the construction of military infrastructure. According to the newspaper, one of the cases being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Committee concerns the purchase of 10 European-made snowmobiles, which, according to the publication, the ministry purchased at a price several times higher than their market value.
For comparison, two snowmobiles of the same type were purchased by the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine at a significantly lower price. “Hraparak's” source at the Anti-Corruption Committee confirmed that there is a criminal proceeding concerning the purchase of the snowmobiles, which was initiated back in 2024. Deputy Minister of Defense Karen Brutyan, who oversees the supply sector, instead of answering journalists' questions, suggested sending a written inquiry, promising to respond if the questions did not contain state secrets.
The other criminal proceeding concerns possible violations during construction works carried out on the order of the Ministry of Defense. According to the newspaper, there are seven defendants in the case, most of whom are in custody. According to the publication, the abuses were related, in particular, to concreting works. The article mentions Deputy Chief of the General Staff Karen Grigoryan and former Head of the Capital Construction Department Vahagn Stepanyan, who, according to the newspaper, was recently dismissed from his position.
According to “Hraparak,” a disagreement arose over the acceptance of work carried out by a private company that had built a road in the Jermuk section on the army's order. According to the publication, Karen Grigoryan demanded that the command of the relevant military unit sign the documents and accept the completed work. However, the unit's deputy commander for rear services and his deputy refused to do so, explaining that the quality of the road did not correspond to the amounts paid for the completed work. The newspaper reports that after this, the deputy commander for rear services found himself among the unwanted officials, while his deputy, Grenik Papoyan, was dismissed on the grounds that his contract had expired.
According to the newspaper's sources, a similar incident also took place in the area of responsibility of the Second Army Corps. The corps commander, Garegin Poghosyan, also refused to accept the poor-quality construction work, but this disagreement was later resolved. “Hraparak” also wrote that information about the quality of the construction had reached Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, while the Anti-Corruption Committee and the National Security Service were conducting investigations at the Ministry of Defense.
The story of snowmobiles being purchased at prices several times higher than market value and military roads being built with questionable quality reveals serious problems in overseeing public procurement and the spending of budget funds in the defense sector. When military personnel refuse to accept completed work, explaining that its quality does not correspond to the amounts paid to contractors, while instead of public explanations, dismissals and personnel reshuffles follow, a perfectly legitimate question arises: who is managing the millions of drams allocated for the army's needs, and on what grounds?
At a time when the country's security is facing numerous challenges, such cases cannot end with formal inspections and behind-the-scenes arrangements. The entire chain of responsibility must be exposed, the justification for the expenditures must be checked, and it must be established what results the initiated criminal proceedings have produced. Funds allocated for defense must serve to strengthen the army's combat readiness, not be squandered on overpriced procurement and poor-quality construction, the shortcomings of which military personnel themselves are forced to speak out about.