Chain of Illegal Adoptions Reaches One of Hovik Abrahamyan's Advisors: 'Zhoghovurd'

According to the newspaper 'Zhoghovurd', the Investigative Committee of Armenia published new information yesterday regarding how an organized criminal group was created and led with the intention of illegally buying and selling children for foreign citizens seeking to adopt children who are citizens of the Republic of Armenia.

It is noteworthy that the investigative body did not disclose any names of officials involved in this high-profile case. However, 'Zhoghovurd' managed to uncover several names.

Thus, we have established that the criminal case involves Argam Stepanyan, the former head of the Civil Status Registration Agency, and Lala Ghazaryan, head of the Women and Children's Issues Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Yet, the list of known officials does not end here.

According to information from 'Zhoghovurd', the current head of the Civil Status Registration Agency, Ani Mkhitaryan, as well as the wife of one of the advisors to former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan—who, by the way, has already been interrogated—are also implicated in the case. Moreover, the name of Nune Khachatryan, the chief of staff of the Minister of Justice Davit Harutyunyan, is also mentioned in the criminal case.

More details can be found in today's issue of the newspaper.