The reports of Pastinfo that Tigran Avinyan was illegally installed as a deputy mayor of Yerevan in September last year have been confirmed, the media outlet said on Monday, calling his appointment a part of “outright political corruption.”
The Yerevan City Council elected Avinyan, a member of the ruling Civil Contract party who leads the Board of Directors of the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF), a state-owned enterprise, as deputy mayor on 23 September 2022. Avinyan plans to run as Civil Contract's candidate in Yerevan mayoral elections this year.
ANIF has confirmed that Avinyan continues to lead its Board of Directors after taking up the deputy mayor’s post.
Pastinfo cited Article 48 (Clause 8) of the law on local self-government in Yerevan which says a deputy mayor may not engage in entrepreneurship, hold any other post in state, local self-government bodies and for-profit organizations or carry out other paid work, except for scientific, pedagogical and creative activity.
“Following the report, ANIF rushed to the aid of the ruling team’s mayoral candidate, claiming he didn't get a salary, but refrained from saying when Avinyan gave up his salary and didn't provide a copy of its charter, since it's not just about salary,” Pastinfo says.
The Ministry of Economy and the government also refused to provide the ANIF charter to the media outlet.
Pastinfo eventually managed to gain access to the charter which “reveals why the government and ANIF tried so hard to keep it a secret.” It claims the charter confirms allegations of political corruption.
“Thus, ANIF is a commercial organization, which aims to earn profit, as it is stipulated in Clause 1.2 of its Charter. It has three governing bodies – the General Meeting of Shareholders, Board of Directors and Executive Body led by the director,” the media outlet states.
“As reported earlier, Article 48 (Clause 8) of the law on local self-government in Yerevan bans a deputy mayor from holding a position in a for-profit organization, which has been violated by Tigran Avinyan. In a breach of the Armenian law, the latter not only holds a post in a for-profit organization, but also manages it.
"It’s confirmed that Tigran Avinian is the ANIF Board of Directors chairman and is responsible for organizing its activity. He chairs the board and general meetings, signs both the decisions of the General Meeting and the Board as well as the documents approved by them under Clause 16.2 of the Charter.
“Obviously, Avinyan has breached the law and his appointment as deputy mayor amounts to an abuse of power, which is a criminal offence, while the competent authorities turn a blind eye to it. This is nothing other than an overt political patronage and a typical instance of political corruption,” Pastinfo writes.