A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Economy confirmed that the 32-year-old official, Ani Ispirian, was taken in for questioning from her office in the morning. She gave no other details.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee said, meanwhile, that its investigators as well as officers of the National Security Service (NSS) jointly searched 15 locations, including the ministry building in Yerevan, as part of two criminal cases opened by them. Its spokesman, Gor Abrahamian, did not confirm that Ispirian is among seven individuals arrested as a result.
In a statement released later in the day, the committee said that unnamed Ministry of Economy officials illegally disqualified a private entity from a procurement tender to make sure that it is won by another bidder. The latter offered 392 million drams (about $1 million) for the service, or nearly three times more than its disqualified rival, the statement said, adding that six of the arrests are related to this case.
In the other case, it went on, a ministry official, also not identified by the law-enforcement body, abused his or her position to help other individuals receive 238 million drams in state agribusiness funding in violation of rules set by the ministry. Those individuals are linked to another person with whom the official was “on close terms,” said the statement. It said that the allocation amounted to the embezzlement of public funds.
Another source told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the arrested suspects also include the head of a Ministry of Economy division.
Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian claimed to be unaware of the reason why his ministry was raided by the law-enforcement officials.
“Investigative bodies usually raid government agencies in corruption cases,” Kerobian told reporters. “We attach great importance to fighting against corruption but also respect the presumption of people’s innocence.”
“And I must point out that there have been no guilty verdicts against Ministry of Economy employees in the last three years,” he added, referring to his time in office.
Kerobian insisted that Ispirian’s dismissal and apparent detention are a coincidence.
“She said one and a half months ago that her husband has found a job in the Netherlands and that they are going to move there,” the minister said. “She wrote a resignation letter a few days before the relocation.”
Ispirian lived and worked in Russia before joining the ministry in 2020 through a government program designed to encourage Diaspora Armenians to relocate to Armenia and work for its government bodies. She became a deputy minister a year later.
Less than a month ago, Ispirian was also appointed as head of the governing board of a state fund tasked with attracting foreign investment in Armenia.