As we reported earlier, Gohar Abajyan, wife of Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, has been appointed as the new director of the “Investment Support Center” foundation.
It is notable that Mirzoyan himself is also a member of the same foundation’s board of trustees.
According to Iravaban.net, the “Law on Foundations” stipulates that a foundation carries out its activities through its bodies. The foundation’s bodies are:
- the board of trustees;
- the administrator.
The administrator may also be called the director, executive director, or general director. In this case, Gohar Abajyan has been appointed as director. Article 25 of the same law stipulates that it is precisely the board of trustees that elects the chairman or the foundation’s administrator (director).
However, the Government’s announcement regarding Abajyan’s appointment does not specify whether board member Ararat Mirzoyan voted in favor of his wife’s selection for the foundation director position, or whether he voted at all.
In this situation, several problems arise:
Possible conflict of interest: If Mirzoyan participated in the voting for his wife’s appointment, this could be viewed as the influence of personal connections on decisions of public importance.
Lack of transparency: The Government’s announcement lacks information about whether Mirzoyan participated in the voting or abstained.
Management culture issue: Even if everything proceeded through legal channels, this case raises questions of public trust, since there is a family connection between the selected leader and a member of the decision-making body.
Gohar Abajyan’s appointment to the director position raises legitimate concerns related to possible conflicts of interest and transparency. Although the law allows the board of trustees to make such appointments, the absence of open and detailed presentation of the process may undermine public trust in state institutions. This situation demonstrates how important it is to ensure not only compliance with the law, but also principles of good governance (ethics) in the field of public administration.
