168: Hiding behind the law, they waste money mercilessly in the Yerevan Municipality

To justify the relentless waste of state funds, Nikol Pashinyan often repeats the idea that the authorities spend state money as effectively as citizens spend their family budgets.

Of course, it is not appropriate to make such a comparison, because the citizen spends his own money, and the government spends the citizen’s money, but even if it is so, no citizen can afford to waste money from his own pocket as they waste it in the Yerevan Municipality.

In this case, we are talking about “Yerevan bus” company operating under Yerevan Municipality. In the event that the price of 1 liter of diesel fuel in the market is 510, the maximum is 520 AMD, “Yerevan Bus” CJSC buys the same diesel fuel for 545 AMD. At the same time, with a “binder”, which is usually much cheaper than the retail price.

He buys at that price, because that money is not his money, and he can afford such an extravagance. Then they complain that the citizens do not pay the fare.

Will they pay you to give the wind mercilessly like this?

A few days ago, Mesrop Manukyan, a member of the “Mother Armenia” faction of the Yerevan Council of Elders, referred to the process of purchasing diesel fuel carried out by “Yerevan Bus” CJSC. It was recorded that on May 6, the company purchased around 500,000 liters of diesel fuel from one person for 545 drams per liter. In the case that in the same period, the retail price of diesel fuel at filling stations was about AMD 510-520.

According to Mesrop Manukyan, as a result of this transaction, the company subordinate to the municipality purchased the fuel at a significantly higher price than the market price, as a result of which the Yerevan community suffered a loss of around 60 million drams.

“Yerevan Bus” hastened to respond to this discovery, directly confirming what the council member said.

“In order to purchase diesel fuel for the needs of the Yerevan Bus company, 3 open, competitive and transparent purchase procedures were organized in advance with the codes EA-EACHAPPSD-26/11, EA-HBMAPPSD-26/17 and EA-EACHAPPSD-26/20. In other words, the company initially chose not an urgent or limited, but a competitive format, giving market participants the opportunity to submit price offers.

The procedures, however, did not take place, because only the company “CPES ENERGY GROUP” participated in them, whose price proposals exceeded the estimated value of AMD 500 for 1 liter, making AMD 550 for 1 liter. In addition, the same company, being the current supplier of diesel fuel, on March 24, 2026, officially refused the offer to supply an additional amount of diesel fuel at the price specified in the contract, citing global inflation, “Yerevan Bus” announced.

After the announced tenders are not held, “Yerevan Bus” organizes a one-person purchase based on urgency. Calling for 7 potential participants. Within the specified period, two companies submitted bids: SIPIES GENERAL with a price offer of AMD 550 per liter and Premium Oil with AMD 545 per liter.

“Since “Premium Oil” offered the lowest price compared to the offers submitted by the law and in the invitation, on that basis the “Yerevan Bus” company chose it, which was derived from the principles of competition, transparency and equal treatment of participants in the procurement process.” the fact that at that moment the prices of diesel fuel in the market are much lower than the presented offers was.

And despite that, they signed a contract to buy hundreds and thousands of liters of diesel fuel, “hiding behind the shortcomings of the law.”

They make excuses that they were guided by the requirements of the “Procurement” law. Let’s assume that it is so, but where is common sense?

If they had offered 600 or 700 drams instead of 545, would they have signed a contract and justified themselves by saying that they did so within the framework of the law?

It should be noted that just 1 day after announcing the decision to sign the contract, one of the companies that participated in the tender turned to “Yerevan Bus” and offered to supply diesel fuel for 500 drams per liter. It was 45 drams lower than the price of the signed contract.

As a result of this transaction, how much damage did the city budget of Yerevan suffer, the calculations may be different. But it is clear that price changes in the fuel market do not happen in 1 day. However, “Yerevan Bus” did not pay attention to these changes, did not study the market or studied but ignored them. Why, that is probably the task of other bodies to find out.

While such vicious manners prevail in the Yerevan Municipality, the 9% mayor of Yerevan, Tigran Avinyan, has devoted himself to CP propaganda these days with all his might, he is measuring the streets of the capital city and making “bland” statements, instead of doing his job.

They spend the citizens’ money with such “efficiency”, and then raise the price of fares, point the finger at the citizens, and accuse them of not being able to buy new buses. Due to insufficient funds, they raised the fares on time. They raised it so that they could afford such extravagances.

You know that the same product is 510-520 drams in the market, and everyone can buy it for that amount, but you go and buy it for 545 drams.

What is the logic of this? Even if we consider that the law allows it, that there is no corruption here, this is an obvious waste of state funds, for which they will have to answer one day.

HAKOB KOCHARYAN

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