Tigran Avinyan: Money laundering concerns also raised around ANIF

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan said that alongside urban transport issues, concerns about money laundering linked to the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) are also under discussion.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Avinyan noted that around 11,000 new cars were registered in Yerevan over the past year, adding that while vehicle numbers keep rising, the city is expanding bus routes and adjusting traffic lights to ease congestion. According to him, traffic jams in early September dropped by about 18% compared with the same period last year.

Avinyan rejected rumors that his party was preparing to “sacrifice” him over ANIF-related controversies. He insisted that both his personal and family finances have been legal, pointing to his long-standing business activity before 2018.

Speaking about ANIF, Avinyan said the fund had attracted 210 million drams in private investment, with 4.19 billion drams in state support, creating around 800 jobs and returning 5.5 billion drams in taxes. He confirmed he had been questioned in connection with the case.

Avinyan recalled that ANIF had partnered with U.S.-based Orbis to train cybersecurity specialists in Armenia, but said later management changes, initiated by then-Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan, undermined trust among international board members and led to the collapse of the project.

He urged investigators to examine links between ANIF and certain U.S.-registered companies, noting that money laundering risks could have arisen in connection with the fund’s joint venture CFW.

Avinyan denied allegations of favoritism in staffing decisions and emphasized that ANIF’s activities had been subject to annual international audits, mainly by KPMG.

“The fund was audited every year. If media outlets want real investigations, they can review those audit reports instead of spinning stories,” Avinyan said.