"Zhoghovurd" daily writes:
"The Ministry of Health bought methadone from a company related to the minister's family. However, no government link notices a conflict of interests in the process. "Zhoghovurd" daily newspaper, studying the state purchases of the RA Ministry of Health, recorded a remarkable situation. the company connected with the family of the Minister of Health continues to receive government orders from the very department that the Minister heads.
It refers to the share belonging to the mother of Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan, Margush Vardanyan. The latter has a 31 percent share in "Arfarmatsia" company, which has been engaged in the supply of medicines and medical materials for years. Public procurement from the same department The research of "Zhoghovurd" daily newspaper shows that in 2025 "Arfarmatsia" company received several large payments from the state budget in the scope of supply of health materials and medicines.
The client was the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia. According to official sources, the following payments were made during 2025: • 20 January 2025 - about 14 million drams, • July 20, 2025 - about 30.6 million drams, • 09 October 2025 - about 38.5 million drams. Thus, more than 80 million drams were transferred from the state budget to the company only within the framework of the three mentioned transactions. Among the drugs provided: methadone "Zhoghovurd" daily found out from the purchase documents that it refers to the supply of health laboratory materials and medicines. That list also includes methadone, a narcotic drug that is used in special medical programs.
Although the public procurement system provides for tender procedures, such transactions often raise questions about potential conflicts of interest when a government agency buys from a company where one of the shareholders is a family member of a high-ranking official. In this case, it refers to the fact that the client of state purchases is the very structure that is managed by the minister himself."
