Friday, May 29 2015 11:09

 Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan has charged the members of the Government to spare funds, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artyom Asatryan told reporters, on May 29, when asked about acquisition of expensive cars for the Government members and Municipality. 

He said technical service of inexpensive vehicles is often more costly than acquisition of expensive cars.  The minister believes that that acquisition of expensive brandy and silver stemware for 30 million drams could be a "necessity" despite the heavy social and economic situation in the country.  Asked about the silver stemware the minister presents his guests with, Artyom Asatryan said: "We try to give our guests symbolic gifts."

ArmInfo reported earlier, the state agencies' annual purchases at the expense of the state budget from Toyota Yerevan alone total about 100 cars. In December 2013, the National Assembly of Armenia acquired  over 10 Toyot Camry cars for the heads of parliamentary commissions,  factions and the vice speakers. The average price of such a car is $34,000.  The President's Administration acquired five Toyota Prado cars. The price was at least $50,000.  The Yerevan Municipality officials' appetites are not that big, unlike that of Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan. For instance, on the next day after the Erebuni-Yerevan celebrations, a Lexus LS 600 HL, the most expensive car in the Armenian representation, was bought in the name of the head of the Yerevan Municipality's Security Service. The car costs $200,000. Minister of Transport and Communication Gagik Beglaryan also bought such a car (in his own name though). Cash funds were paid for both cars.  

The State Revenue Committee that was later included in the Finance Ministry headed by "Superminister" Gagik Khachatryan, was a record-holder. According to our source, the given structure annually buys dozens of Toyota Corolla cars at the expense of the taxpayers. The cheapest Toyota Corolla costs $24,000.  In 2014, the structure acquired two Toyota Prados worth a total of $112,000. Naturally, almost all the new car acquisitions of the Finance Ministry fall on December. 

One more noteworthy point is that the Finance Ministry does not take the Toyota Corollas for months. The Ministry conscientiously pays for the cars, registers them, and pays for the vehicle inspection and for the motor third party liability insurance policies. Afterwards, the cars remain in the company's warehouses for months. The most absurd thing about this was that a tax inspector took and official car in      2015, whereas it was bought in 2013.  The nephew of Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan also pays regular visits to Toyota Armenia.  The young man acquires various cars once or twice a month. He pays for the cars with a Unibank credit card and registers them in different people's names. The mechanisms in these manipulations are anybody's guess.  It remains for us to add that following the scandal initiated by ArmInfo in 2011 over the acquisition of 7 cars worth a total of $309,000 from the same Toyota Armenia company by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Mother See not only failed to buy a single car but also refused the vehicle inspection, even the warranty one.  It is no coincidence, therefore, that state officials suggest imposing even bigger taxes on the Armenian business, which is in desperate condition, by toughening the tax administration and ensuring a luxurious life for themselves, with the cars being just a small element of that luxury.