Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) on Wednesday denied former Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian’s allegations that he repeatedly refused personal favors requested by NSS Director Armen Abazian before being dismissed and prosecuted on corruption charges.
The charges are related to a procurement tender organized by the Armenian Ministry of Economy last year. Investigators allege that Kerobian and other ministry officials rigged the tender to award a $1 million procurement contract to a major software company “at any cost.”
Kerobian was indicted and placed under house arrest in February. He again denied the accusations last week after being released pending trial. In a Facebook post, he said the four-month investigation reinforced his belief that the criminal case is “fictitious” and “pursues other goals.”
Kerobian elaborated on that claim in an interview with Factor.am published on Tuesday. He hinted that he believes he was prosecuted due to having “problems” with various senior officials, particularly Abazian.
“I was principled in my work and did not give in where giving in would mean abandoning my principles,” he said. “This meant that I did not have good relationships with various officials, which would allow me to expect, so to speak, a good attitude from them.”
“Yes, including the NSS director. On several occasions, I did not grant his requests. It was about appointing someone to some position,” he added without providing further details.
A spokeswoman for the NSS rejected Kerobian’s claims as a “complete lie.” Abazian did not comment on them personally.
There was also no reaction from the Office of the Prosecutor-General, leaving it unclear whether it could investigate the claims.
Kerobian is not the first official to publicly allege illicit favors requested from the NSS. Last December, Haykuhi Harutiunian, the then chairwoman of the Commission on Prevention of Corruption, made a similar claim just as she was effectively fired by Armenia’s government-controlled parliament. Harutiunian did not name any NSS officers who she said sought privileged treatment by the body scrutinizing income and asset declarations filed by senior officials.
