Prosecutor General to appeal ruling on Finance Minister probe

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Prosecutor General's Office will appeal to the Court of Cassation a decision by the Anti-Corruption Court of Appeals regarding Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan, according to a statement from the office cited by RFE/RL.

The appellate court had previously ordered investigative authorities to initiate criminal proceedings and determine whether Hovhannisyan—a member of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s cabinet and the ruling Civil Contract party—had committed acts involving corruption risks.

Last year, a group of lawyers reviewed the finance minister's asset declarations and identified errors across several years. They also discovered that Hovhannisyan had received an interest-free loan of $1 million and purchased the company Caritas Italiana. This company was later renamed “G Coders,” and according to the lawyers, Hovhannisyan sold his 100% stake to his uncle. The company also benefited from government support, receiving a customs duty exemption worth 1.8 billion drams for imported goods.

These findings raised suspicions of possible corruption. The lawyers filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General, and the matter was eventually referred to the Anti-Corruption Committee.