Head of RA Anti-Corruption Committee on English language courses during pre-election period

ArmInfo. The Chair of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Artur Nahapetyan, declined to answer a question about whether the promises of the "My Step" Foundation, headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's wife, Anna Hakobyan, to organize English language courses during the pre-election period violated the law prohibiting charity.

As a reminder, on February 6, President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a decree scheduling the next elections to the National Assembly of Armenia for June 7, 2026. On February 9, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) approved the schedule of key events for the preparation and conduct of the next elections.

"I will refrain from giving a legal assessment of the election promises so as not to predetermine the legal outcome of a possible future trial," Artur Nahapetyan said in a conversation with journalists in parliament on February 24.

Nevertheless, he recalled Article 221 of the RA Criminal Code, which stipulates the violation of the ban on charity, which is in effect from the moment the president signs the decree setting the election date. "From that moment until the election results are tallied, we are dealing with this norm, which is also stipulated by the Electoral Code," he explained.

When asked by a journalist whether the fact that Anna Hakobyan's foundation is organizing English classes during this period is problematic for the head of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Nahapetyan stated that the Committee has not received any signals regarding this specific case.

"If we receive a signal regarding the aforementioned case, or if there are any investigations, we will make an appropriate procedural decision based on it," the Committee head said.