Bangladesh, Nov. 13 -- In Armenia, former Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan has found himself at the center of an unfolding story that intertwines family business, state-funded projects, and political influence. Avinyan, a prominent figure of Armenias “Velvet Revolution” in 2018, went from a city council member to a deputy prime minister during a time of national upheaval. While heralded as part of a new generation intent on ending corruption, an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Civilnet reveals that state programs Avinyan supervised provided indirect benefits to his familys irrigation business, Irrigate LLC.

The 2018 “Velvet Revolution” was a defining moment in ...