Armenian opposition lawmaker Edgar Ghazaryan on Tuesday pressed Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan over corruption allegations, accusing law enforcement authorities of turning a blind eye to misconduct by government officials while pursuing opposition politicians.
The exchange took place during parliamentary committee hearings on the draft 2027 state budget, where Ghazaryan questioned the minister about a report by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service concerning allegations made by lawyers against Hovhannisyan.
The report cited discrepancies in financial declarations and questions surrounding loans totaling nearly $1 million.
“It appears that your involvement in corruption scandals is becoming a recurring pattern,” Ghazaryan told the minister, asking whether any legal proceedings had been launched against him.
The Strong Armenia faction MP also recalled an earlier controversy involving a property reportedly owned by Hovhannisyan and leased to an associate who used U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding to organize a corporate party.
“Are your dealings with law enforcement authorities limited to financial matters, or could you also find yourself facing legal action?” Ghazaryan asked.
Hovhannisyan said journalists had repeatedly asked him about the allegations and that he had referred them to the relevant authorities, adding that he was not familiar with the details of the cases.
He dismissed Ghazaryan’s question as irrelevant to the budget debate, arguing that the lawyers who had filed the lawsuit had no connection to the proceedings under discussion.
The minister also described the investigation as an unnecessary expense for the state and said he had no interest in the matter.
Ghazaryan rejected that argument, saying the issue was relevant because Hovhannisyan was a government official. He accused law enforcement authorities of applying double standards by initiating proceedings against opposition politicians while failing to pursue allegations involving members of the ruling party.
“I want to know why only opposition politicians face legal proceedings over alleged misconduct in this country, while no proceedings are initiated against government officials despite the huge public outcry and documented evidence surrounding allegations against them,” Ghazaryan said.
He questioned whether the substantial state funding allocated to law enforcement agencies, including additional funds earmarked for this year, could be contributing to selective enforcement.
Ghazaryan also asked how many MPs from the opposition Strong Armenia and Hayastan factions were facing criminal charges, noting that no members of the ruling Civil Contract faction or the government had been charged.
In response, Hovhannisyan said the lawyers had taken the matter to court because he had decided to impose taxes on them.
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