Prosecutor releases Armenian National Assembly speaker’s relative on bail

Wife of Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonian’s brother Ani Gevorgyan has been released.

Gevorgyan and representative of the Synergy International Systems company Lily Mkryan were released on bail, a letter of undertaking not to leave the country and a surety, the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office said, Caliber.Az reports citing the Armenian media.

The prosecutor, on his own initiative, changed the preventive measure on February 12. In particular, the investigative body thinks that the influence of Gevorgyan and Mkryan on the investigative process has decreased at this stage.

Confrontations have already been held, and they have given evidence, which is essential for the criminal case.

Director of the company Ashot Hovhannisyan is still in custody. The preventive measure against him has not been changed.

Earlier, the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office received a request for a personal guarantee from MPs of the Civil Contract faction in a corruption case, in which Gevorgyan’s actions are also being investigated. A criminal case against several officials of the Ministry of Economy and representatives of the private sector was filed on January 31.

According to investigators, as part of the tender entitled “Creation of a bank for public investment programmes”, officials entered into a conspiracy with the head of one of the companies, creating artificial obstacles to the participation of its competitor. As a result, the company, which submitted an application three times more expensive (392 million drams, which is almost $100,000), won.

Three people have been arrested in the case, namely, company director Ashot Hovhannisyan, head of the public investment policy department of the Economy Ministry Lili Sirakanyan and head of the agricultural programme implementation department of the ministry Taron Martirosyan.

Deputy Economy Minister Ani Ispiryan is under house arrest.