The Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF), a state-owned enterprise, and Deputy Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan have filed a lawsuit against Pastinfo, demanding that the media outlet refute its reports allegedly “damaging the business reputation.”
Pastinfo says its staff has not yet received a copy of the suit, stressing it has never received any requests for refutation in connection with its reports accusing Avinyan, who leads the ANIF Board of Directors, of illegal appointment as deputy mayor.
In its reports earlier, the media outlet cited Article 48 (Clause 8) of the law on local self-government in Yerevan which bans deputy mayors from engaging in entrepreneurship, holding any other post in state, local self-government bodies and for-profit organizations or carrying out other paid work, except for scientific, pedagogical and creative activity.
Before the release of reports, Pastinfo had submitted queries to both Tigran Avinyan and ANIF to find out whether salaries were set for the ANIF Board of Directors members and whether Avinyan gave up his salary, however the latter failed to respond to them in violation of the law on freedom of information.
ANIF also refused to say who sets the staffing table and salaries of the company, what legal or normative acts they are based on, whether the board director and its members receive fixed salaries, whether there is a salary waiver in the Board of Directors and whether the board director is planned to be replaced in the near future.
The fund also refused to provide a copy of its charter, but Pastinfo gained access to it from the Agency for State Register of Legal Entities in the manner prescribed by law.
"It’s confirmed that Tigran Avinyan 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,” the report said.
“Incidentally, it remains unclear whether Avinyan was appointed full-time deputy mayor, because it turns out that he performs the duties of ANIF board chairman at the expense of his working hours as deputy mayor, but receives a salary from the Municipality,” Pastinfo said.
“Crucially, neither Avinyan nor ANIF provided explanations over the issues raised, also refusing to reveal how many hours a day he spends on performing the duties of ANIF board chairman.
“The competent authorities avoid providing information on the issues raised and answering questions. Instead, they sue the media outlet, which we regard not only as a manifestation of political corruption, but also as an attempt to silence the media,” it stressed.