"In 2018, I put on sale the Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicle which was assigned to the Mayor and transferred the amount to the city budget," Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan stated on Wednesday, during special meeting of the Yerevan Council on the impeachment process against him. In Marutyan's words, he refused from the car, instead took economy class 'Nissan' he drives himself without even bodyguards. 

Responding to accusations that he had reportedly embezzled funds from the city budget, Marutyan said he had never received payment bonuses and refused a salary increase. 

"This is not something heroic. This is even not good but normal, and it is my conviction. This conviction should also guide any official who received the revolutionary mandate. In a country with 30% poverty, an official cannot care about improving own prosperity at the expense of the state. Furthermore, the public service should be a kind of self-sacrifice and destitution for coming years," said Marutyan, adding the colleagues from the Civil Contract party regretfully do not share this view. 

The Mayor then noted that he had decided to leave the ruling party in 2020 due to these differences and the implementation of his decision was delayed to the war and then after the post-war instability in the country. In his words, he left to the ruling force to publicize his decision. 

"You may ask why I have not voiced about this thus far. I kept silent not to escalate the internal political situation. The Civil Contract party, however, considers the stability in the country is favorable and the moment has come to implement the change of power in the Mayor's Office. Thus, I am free now to talk openly to people about this," said the Mayor.