The charges stem from a procurement tender organized by the Armenian Ministry of Economy last year. Investigators say that Kerobian and other ministry officials rigged the tender in order to grant a $1 million procurement contract to a major software company “at any cost.”
Kerobian was indicted and placed under house arrest in February. He again denied the accusations last week right after being set free pending trial. In a Facebook post, he said the four-month investigation has reinforced his belief that the criminal case is “fictitious” and “pursues other goals.”
Kerobian seemingly elaborated on that claim in an interview with Factor.am published on Tuesday. In particular, the ex-minister hinted that he believes he was prosecuted because of having “problems” with various senior officials and Abazian in particular.
“I was principled in my work and did not give in in cases where giving in would mean abandoning my principles,” he said. “This meant that I did not have good relationships with various officials which would allow me to expect, so to speak, a good attitude from them.”
“Yes, including the NSS director. On a number of occasions, I did not grant his requests. It was about appointing someone to some position,” he added without giving further details.
A spokeswoman for the NSS rejected Kerobian’s claims as an “complete lie.” Abazian did not comment on them personally.
There was also no reaction from the Office of the Prosecutor-General. It was thus not clear whether it could investigate the claims.
Kerobian is not the first official to have publicly alleged illicit favors requested from the NSS. Last December, Haykuhi Harutiunian, the then chairwoman of the Commission on Prevention of Corruption, made such a claim just as she was effectively fired by Armenia’s government-controlled parliament. Harutiunian did not name any NSS officers who she said sought privileged treatment by the body scrutinizing income and asset declarations filed by senior officials.