YEREVAN, NOVMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Republican candidate for parliament Davit Shahnazaryan’s accusations against caretaker Deputy PM Tigran Avinyan are completely made up and false, caretaker First Deputy PM Ararat Mirzoyan told reporters today.

Shahnazaryan had earlier claimed that Pashinyan will not succeed in eradicating corruption “as long as caretaker Deputy PM Tigran Avinyan isn’t behind bars”, referring to the fact that Avinyan’s factory has received a grant from the Agricultural Development Fund. Avinyan had later said that he received the grant before he took office, and that his company had applied for the project back in February.

“Frankly speaking I was puzzled when I learned that Davit Shahnazaryan is in the electoral list of the Republican Party. And I am puzzled now too, when I see with what kind of a fervor a man that was once waiving the opposition flag has assumed the role of an attorney of a criminal regime,” he said, adding that Shahnazaryan’s claim has nothing to do with reality.

He said that Shahnazaryan is consciously defending the wrong side.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan