Armenian lawyer warns of large-scale corruption

The Armenian authorities are projecting an image of fighting corruption, but the scale of cases remains significant, lawyer Varazdat Harutyunyan said ahead of the workshop “Corruption in the Pre-Election Period" in Yerevan on Friday.

Harutyunyan told Panorama.am that while visible, mass corruption incidents affecting broad segments of society have declined, serious cases involving state officials persist. “The logic of corruption has not left state governance,” he said, pointing to the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) as a prominent example.

He noted that a criminal case linked to ANIF has been ongoing for two years, with defendants already charged. Media reports have also highlighted the involvement of Tigran Avinyan, who chaired ANIF’s board of trustees.

Harutyunyan added that abuses in public procurement remain extensive, an issue repeatedly raised over the past eight years.