Ruben Rubinyan, a member of the ruling “Civil Contract” Party in the Armenian parliament and acting chairman of the parliament, has faced harsh accusations from an opposition MP. The speech raised allegations about Rubinyan's brother's connections with companies operating in various strategic sectors and possible conflicts of interest.
Modern.az reports that MP Mesrop Manukyan, in his speech, first commented on Rubinyan's gestures, stating that it was normal behavior, and then emphasized that he had never renounced his political past.
In the main part of his speech, the MP touched upon the activities of Ruben Rubinyan's brother, Levon Rubinyan. According to his claim, Levon Rubinyan is not only the first deputy chairman of the board of “Amio Bank” but also represented in the management p of “Viva Armenia”.
Manukyan stated that questions arise regarding conflicts of interest in the context of the activities of the state-owned bank, ownership of telecommunication companies, and large business operations that have occurred in recent years. He claimed that investments linked to Konstantin Sokolov's name are directed towards strategic sectors such as banking, telecommunications, infrastructure, and the mining industry.
In his speech, the MP also listed various business processes related to “Viva Armenia”, “Rostelecom”, the “Tripi” project, and the “Hrazdan Cement” plant, stating that the involvement of the same individuals in these areas should be investigated.
Mesrop Manukyan also criticized the appointment of Rubinyan's father-in-law, Hakob Haji Hakobyan, as the head of the National Assembly's protocol service in 2022. He stated that corruption allegations related to this person during his consular activities in Turkey were available in open sources, but he did not provide any court decision regarding this.
At the end of his speech, the MP called on the authorities to demonstrate transparency regarding the management of the country's strategic sectors. He stated that his remarks were of a political nature and that he would continue to investigate these issues in parliament.
