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The video that shows Tigran Avinyan, a deputy Yerevan mayor who is the ruling Civil Contract party’s mayoral candidate in the next municipal elections due in 2023, driving a city bus serves as a good basis for “holding him administratively liable”, Pastinfo said on Wednesday.

The news website cited Article 128 of Armenia’s Code on Administrative Offences, which envisages a fine of 20 times the minimum salary for unlicensed driving. It says a man is considered not to have the right to drive vehicles if he/she has not received a driving license for the given category of vehicles in a manner prescribed by law.

“Now, it begs the question, may Tigran Avinyan drive a bus? Does he have the right to drive this type of vehicle or not, and why are the law enforcement agencies turning a blind eye to it?” Pastinfo writes.

“Pastinfo reached the police in an attempt to clarify whether they have opened proceedings against the Civil Contract’s mayoral candidate, Tigran Avinyan for an administrative offence in accordance with their duties, however it turned out that we are dealing not only with Tigran Avinyan's primitive gimmick, but also with political corruption, as the police refused to answer questions about the measures taken. In response to our verbal inquiry, the police told us to submit a written request,” the report says.

The news site stresses that the police press office generally provides information on both criminal cases and administrative proceedings based on verbal queries, “especially when they involve opposition members.”

“Such a biased approach indicates that the police have nothing to say and are stalling for time to decide whether to take action or continue inaction and what reasons to give to justify their inaction. In other words, the name of the ruling team’s mayoral candidate holds the police back, which is nothing but a manifestation of political corruption,” Pastinfo states.

It underscores that drivers of buses having 8 to 16 passenger seats are required to hold a PCV license category D1.

“These seem to be quite insignificant issues against the backdrop of security challenges, but it again shows that these people think they are above the law,” Pastinfo adds.