Hovik Aghazaryan Reveals How He Was Asked for a Loan and What He Did

The MP emphasized that from a parliamentary perspective, it is not permissible for one to spend budgetary allocations intended for their family for other purposes. "There may be 1-2 instances, but if you do this regularly, you must return that money," said Hovik Aghazaryan, a member of the "My Step" faction in the National Assembly, during a press briefing today, July 15.

He was commenting on the bill that proposes to increase the allotted funds for additional expenses of MPs from 50,000 to 250,000 drams. "I believe that MPs are spending more money than their budget allows, which implies a profit-seeking motive. Everything should be regulated. Who are you, what do you present to me, that you do me a favor of 10-20 thousand drams? You, as an MP, secure my job, and I will work; I am no less than you," he stated. "This practice of 'poddachki,' as it’s called in Russian, is unacceptable for me. It falls outside my value system. Once, someone asked me for money. They needed 150,000 drams. I made them work for 120,000 drams with my assistant doing manual labor. After that, we added 30,000 drams. In other words, I taught them that they must work," he said.