The "Past" newspaper writes:
After the "velvet revolution" of 2018, there was a clear expectation in society that the new authorities would thoroughly eradicate the corrupt practices of the former system. However, reality paints a different picture: it seems that the newcomers did not come to change the system, but simply to take over and fill the void of greed for enrichment that even the "former" officials could not overcome or bring to such scale.
Specifically, according to recently published facts, the ruling party MP Ludwig Gyulnazaryan received gifts including gold jewelry worth 5 million drams, a plot of land in Parakar, and a "VAZ" brand car. Ararat Governor Sedrak Tevonyan received an apartment in the Arabkir district of Yerevan as a gift in 2022, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister's Office Zaruhi Matevosyan also received an apartment in Arabkir in 2024. MP Hripsime Grigoryan of the ruling party was gifted a plot of land and a garage in 2020, while the ruling party faction leader Arusyak Manavazyan received a "Mercedes" car in January 2024.
Eduard Aghajanyan received an apartment in central Yerevan, and Sergey Bagratyan was gifted a "Porsche" car in 2021. MP Narek Khachatryan received a plot of land in Syunik and an "Audi" car; Trdat Sargsyan received an apartment in Yerevan and a plot of land in Yeghvard; Aram Khachatryan got an apartment in Vanadzor; and Tavush Governor Hayk Ghalumyan received an apartment and plot of land in Ijevan. Ruling party MP Vahe Ghalumyan received substantial monetary gifts from various relatives and his brother, while Garik Sargsyan received a total of 53 million drams. Remarkable gifts were also noted among representatives of other departments: Armen Kotolian from the Market Supervision Inspection Body received an apartment, land, raw materials worth 18 million drams, and a watch valued at more than 4 million drams in 2025.
Martuni Mayor Hovhannes Hoveyan received a "Toyota" car, buildings, and land as gifts between 2019-2022, while his brother, Gegham Hoveyan from the Chamber of Accounts, received a watch worth 6 million drams in 2025. These notable investigations were conducted by Tribune.am, presenting details in a special video series.
All of this once again forces a deeply disappointing question: did thousands of citizens take to the streets for this? Was the change of power made so that under the guise of the "new" we would witness the same, if not more extensive and brazen enrichment, where gold jewelry worth millions of drams, luxury apartments, and expensive cars are funneled into the pockets of officials under the names of relatives or unknown sources? Was this the just and equal country promised by those who came to power, or has the word "revolution" become merely another inviolable mandate to accumulate personal wealth and secure one's own prosperity?
Details in today's issue of the "Past" newspaper
