Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has ordered an examination of a media report alleging a possible corruption case involving one of his deputies, Tigran Avinian.

“I have instructed that the matter be examined and I will draw my own conclusion based on the results of that examination. I do have explanations, but I want it to be clear that there can be no manifestation of corruption in Armenia,” Pashinian told journalists on Thursday.

On October 29, the Hetq online magazine published a story in which it said that the company founded by Avinian had won a $35,000 grant from the Agricultural Development Fund for developing its production of dry fruits at the time when Avinian already occupied the post of Armenia’s vice-premier.

The publication further noted that the Agricultural Development Fund’s former director Gegham Gevorkian was appointed Armenia’s minister of agriculture in October.

Pashinian promised to present facts concerning the case to the public later.

After assuming the prime minister’s office in May, Pashinian declared a fight against corruption as one of the major priorities of his government and vowed to look into any reasonable corruption claim against any official or his or her family, including claims concerning his own family.

In his public speeches Pashinian has repeated stated that government corruption has been eradicated in Armenia.