Who is Your Guarantor? Details from the Minister's Meeting

According to the 'Haykakan Zhamanak' newspaper, on December 17, a competition was held for the vacant position of director of the 'Sevan National Park' SNCO, for which 14 individuals submitted applications, but only 12 participated, and 7 were declared winners.

As a result, the council of the SNCO voted in favor of Vardan Vardanyan, who is the lawyer of the 'Sevan National Park' SNCO. According to some information, Vardanyan's 'patron' is Vahe Gulyan, the former head of the park. However, it is interesting to note that Gulyan was dismissed from his position at his own request, as he was constantly reminded of his involvement in certain criminal cases.

Now it turns out that instead, his lawyer was appointed. Karen Saribekyan, a participant and one of the seven winners of the competition, presented troubling details from the meeting with Environment Minister Erik Grigoryan: 'We came to the ministry with the winning candidates... There was actually no need for a meeting with the minister; there is no procedure for it. We went in one by one, and the guys who exited said they were asked who their guarantor or patron was. I thought they were joking. But when I entered, I was also asked to name three people who would guarantee and support me. How is that possible? In Armenia, you need a guarantor to accept a case. My guarantor is the Prime Minister...'

Participants insist that the council's decision should be revoked.

For more details, see today's issue of the newspaper.