Anti-Corruption National Initiative
ANTI-CORRUPTIONNATIONALINITIATIVE

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.

Ghazaryan first recalled that Atom Janjughazyan, Chairman of the Audit Chamber, had been Deputy Minister of Finance until 2018 and had also held the position of Minister of Finance under Nikol Pashinyan's government. The MP singled out the story of the $100 million transferred to the state budget from donations made to the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund during the 44-day war. Answering journalists' questions, Janjughazyan had explained the purpose of the expenditure by referring to expenses envisaged in the state budget. In Ghazaryan's assessment, the authorities have now appointed him to head precisely the body that is supposed to oversee the use of public funds.

Turning to Karen Arustamyan, the MP mentioned his cooperation with Ishkhan Zakaryan within the framework of organising the Pan-Armenian Games. Ghazaryan noted that Arustamyan had received a letter of appreciation from Serzh Sargsyan for this work. He also recalled Zakaryan's cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office in the case concerning the confiscation of property of illicit origin, claiming that the Civil Contract party is ready to cooperate with representatives of the former authorities when they support its political agenda.

During his speech, Ghazaryan also mentioned the story of the “Euroasphalt” company. According to him, the company had been founded by two women of retirement age, while the brother of National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, Karlen Simonyan, had been appointed its director. Subsequently, the company became one of the major beneficiaries of state contracts. Ghazaryan noted that after speaking publicly about this story, Alen Simonyan had sued him, and the court had found him guilty.

The MP stated that they had proposed Taron Varazdatyan's candidacy for the position of a member of the Audit Chamber, but Civil Contract MPs had preferred Karen Arustamyan. In Ghazaryan's conviction, political cooperation with the authorities could hinder the independent work of the oversight body.

At the end of his speech, he criticised Arustamyan for linking his professional biography to the Civil Contract party, also taking into account his Artsakh origins.

“I feel sorry for you, and I do not wish you success,” Ghazaryan concluded.

All publications

“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.

Read more

“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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

Contact information

For inquiries regarding collaboration or information about the organization’s activities, please use the contact details provided.

Contact form