The responsible parties for the EU's 4 million euro program in Vanadzor are now defendants two years after the program's completion:
The court today imposed two months of house arrest and a bail of 20 million drams on program leader Natalya Lapaourin. Also under house arrest is the program's transportation expert David Melkonyan. Lapaourin, arrested the day before, has been charged by the Anti-Corruption Committee with receiving bribes, embezzlement, money laundering, and official forgery, while Melkonyan is charged with aiding bribery.
Who gave the bribe, what property was embezzled, and how? These questions remain unanswered. The Anti-Corruption Committee has not yet provided details.
“Azatutyun” published an investigation into suspicious transactions related to this program a year and a half ago. In 2020, the European Union allocated 4 million euros for the implementation of environmentally friendly transport, waste recycling lines, and a digital management system in Gyumri and Vanadzor.
Years after the program's completion, instead of the promised international standards, only five electric buses are operating in Vanadzor, while there has been no investment in Gyumri, and another five buses have been left idle for two years under the open sky.
Where the EU's 4 million went or how program leader Natalya Lapaourin considered the project fully implemented last year remains unknown.
