Head of Armenia’s State Supervision Service Davit Sanasaryan has been charged with abusing power for the benefit of personal or group interests.

According to the National Security Service, the charges were brought as part of a criminal case investigating interference in the process of purchasing hemodialysis equipment for the country’s hospitals.

The NSS said the employees of the State Supervision Service have intervened in the process for the benefit of a company they favored.

Part 1 of Article 308 of the Armenian Criminal Code imposes punishment - a fine, detention or incarceration - for causing considerable damage to serve one’s own personal or group interests.

Sanasaryan himself described the charges as “fabricated,” maintaining that “it would make a lot more sense to suspect me of assassinating [the 35th President of the United States John F.] Kennedy than of having anything to do with corruption.”