Arsen Torosyan to Be Questioned in Covid Case: Sasun Khachatryan

Arsen Torosyan, who served as the Minister of Health during the pandemic, will be questioned regarding allegations of abuse related to the handling of the pandemic. This statement was made today, May 31, during a conversation with journalists by the head of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Sasun Khachatryan.

“I believe there is a need for questioning; we will question him because, after all, Arsen Torosyan held the position of Minister of Health, and Mr. Torosyan should express his stance regarding those realities, as well as the investigation has a number of questions,” Khachatryan said.

It should be noted that the Anti-Corruption Committee has initiated a criminal prosecution regarding abuses that occurred during the fight against the Coronavirus between 2020 and 2021. As part of the case, Yerevan's Deputy Mayor and former Deputy Minister of Health Gevorg Simonian was detained for one month.

According to the Anti-Corruption Committee, Simonian, who was then the Deputy Minister of Health and responsible for the allocation of state funding, failed to exercise sufficient oversight due to his patron-client relationship with Babken Shahumyan, the director of “Medline” clinic, which resulted in the embezzlement of around 120 million drams by the director of “Medline Clinic.” Shahumyan is currently in custody.

It is also noteworthy that the ten doctors from “Medline,” who were arrested for abuses during the pandemic, have been released.