Zhoghovurd: Minister’s business trip cost state budget over 4 million AMD

The business trip of Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgian to New York in May of this year cost the state budget over 4 million 480 thousand AMD. The ministry paid that sum for two air tickets for a Yerevan-Prague-Paris-New York flight and a New York-Paris-Yerevan flight, ‘Zhogovurd’ writes.

“According to documents at the paper’s disposal, one of the air tickets was a business class ticket. In all likelihood, it was bought for the minister and cost 3.1 million AMD or $7.5 thousand. Another ticket, an economy class one, cost 1.3 million AMD or $3 thousand and was bought for the minister’s advisor Suren Amirbekian who accompanied him on the trip to New York. In fact, if the minister had bought a ticket for $3 thousand instead of $7.5 thousand, his security would not have been ensured. He needed a business class ticket to travel safe and sound,” the newspaper says.