The court hearing in the case of Aghvan Hovsepyan, former Chairman of the Investigative Committee, former Deputy of the Supreme Council, and former Prosecutor General, continued yesterday, September 3, at the Anti-Corruption Criminal Court. The presiding judge is Tigran Davtyan.

According to the indictment, Aghvan Hovsepyan, while serving as the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia from March 18, 2004, to September 13, 2013, and as the Chairman of the RA Investigative Committee from July 18, 2014, to June 11, 2018, being a high-ranking official endowed with the functions of a government representative, contrary to the prohibition on engaging in entrepreneurial activities for persons holding office, founded organizations engaged in entrepreneurial activities with his close associate Arshavir Sargsyan, a resident of Yerevan, between 2007-2015 with a single intent. He also personally participated and through trusted persons – his sons – in the management of organizations engaged in entrepreneurial activities, which was associated with granting privileges and advantages to these organizations and patronizing them in other ways. He then legalized the property obtained through criminal means as a result of illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities in particularly large amounts.

According to Iravaban.net, witness Arshavir Sargsyan was interrogated during this court session.

Regarding the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, he stated that it was one of his regular ideas, he told Aghvan Hovsepyan that tires could be brought from there, the latter spoke with the director, there were meetings, an agreement was reached: “He said, go, if you can do this business, we have our representation there, if you can bring at a better price, and if they give it to you at all, please, bring it.”

The witness stated that he brought these tires from Belarus and was engaged in this activity for a long time.

Later, the company was changed to the name of Aghvan Hovsepyan’s son, the issue was conditioned by the fact that during this time, PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan also opened a company with Belarus, the Belarusian organization’s share was 51%, and Tsarukyan’s organization 45%, they were bringing all Belarusian goods and selling them in the Charbakh store: “A question arose that they should also bring the ‘vershina’, I realized that we were losing this business, I told Mr. Hovsepyan there’s such a problem, he said I’ll talk, probably talked, then said that we need to change the organization to Misak’s name, to say it’s his son’s organization. I realized that something wasn’t right, until then there had never been a ‘mine and yours’.”

He noted that he and Misak Hovsepyan went to Gagik Tsarukyan once, asked him to allow them to continue their business activities, he received them very badly, said this is business, now they are working.

According to him, after that they worked together for 1 year, then it was decided to open a new organization, change the founders.