Today, on December 17, the court hearing on the case of the former Chairman of the Investigative Committee, former Supreme Council deputy, and former Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan continued in the Anti-Corruption Criminal Court. The presiding judge is Tigran Davtyan.
According to Iravaban.net, after Artsruni Harutyunyan, one of the witnesses summoned to this session, Hamlet Makaryan was questioned.
He reported that Arshavir Sargsyan is his sister’s daughter’s husband. He knows Aghvan Hovsepyan, hasn’t had personal contact with the latter, but has had contact with his son, Armen Hovsepyan.
He mentioned that he was involved in the construction of Aghvan Hovsepyan’s paternal house in Aparan, Byurakan villa, and gave advice.
“Again, I didn’t personally manage, but remotely I was sending workers, craftsmen, giving advice, many times we would go and look on site. I didn’t deal with design work because Aghvan Hovsepyan was a very good specialist, he was doing everything regarding design himself.
During the construction on Mashtots street, I personally managed during those 3 years, I had direct participation there, I was in contact with Arshavir Sargsyan,” he said.
To Public Prosecutor Koryun Serobyan’s question about what connection Arshavir Sargsyan and Aghvan Hovsepyan had with each other, the witness said he knew they were very close friends, he himself was present during feasts, that’s when he saw Aghvan Hovsepyan.
He also participated in the construction of hydroelectric power plants, gave advice, heard that these hydroelectric power plants also belong to Hovsepyan
– Which hydroelectric power plant did you personally go to?
– The last hydroelectric power plant they built in Yeghegnadzor, and I don’t know about the rest.
– And how many times would you have gone at that time?
– Probably 3-4 times.
– Who did you go with?
– With Arshavir.
– And did you see Aghvan Hovsepyan there?
– No.
– And did Arshavir ever say whether there were or weren’t other hydroelectric power plants?
– To tell the truth, I heard on television that they were protesting, they banned, they did something, they didn’t allow it.
– Where were they protesting?
– In that Martuni area, for changing the river course, I heard such things.
– Where was the Mashtots apartment located, whose apartment was it?
– The apartment was in the name of Armen’s father-in-law.
– Who is Armen, can you tell?
– Aghvan Hovsepyan’s son.
The witness detailed the work directed at the apartment’s construction, reported that the construction took 3 years, about 12 people worked, Arshavir Sargsyan handled their compensation.
– Approximately how much would those employees have been paid for performing the apartment work?
– For all 3 years?
– It must have reached close to a million in dollars, because it was quite a construction, besides that the 5th floor, which we demolished, we demolished from one entrance to another entrance and even more, we collected the covering with reinforced concrete structures.
The public prosecutor also inquired about how frequently the witness went to Aghvan Hovsepyan’s Byurakan villa, what activities he carried out there, the latter said he gave advice, Mezhlum was constantly calling, asking questions about various construction issues. According to him, he sent approximately 10-12 craftsmen there for work, the latter reported that he was registered with them as a builder, would go, sign under the corresponding document and receive his salary.
– Who was giving these workers’ compensation?
– Arshavir was giving it.
– Do you have information about where he was giving it from?
– No, I don’t.
– Were there many workers during the villa’s construction?
– Quite many.
– In your opinion, approximately how much would have been spent?
– Regarding Byurakan, I can’t say, I wasn’t there much.
The witness also noted that he saw Aghvan Hovsepyan in Byurakan, at that time the second floor rooms’ decoration works were ongoing: “We saw there was no sink, I said ‘Garnikich, how are they going to wash here’, he looked at my eyes surprised, said ‘oh, we hadn’t planned for a toilet’, only then we organized, that issue was also solved.”
To the question about what was there, the witness said: “Beautiful fountains, swimming pool, tunnel, they did work related to millions,” also there was a guard house, greenhouse.
You, when you say Hovsepyan was there, it’s such an impression that Hovsepyan was sleeping there, waking up there, wasn’t going to work at all, was it like that?
– No.
– How many times have you seen me there?
– I saw you 2 times in Byurakan, one that day, and once when they had done something wrong in some room, we had to cut the armature.
– Are you aware of what I was working at that time?
– You were probably a prosecutor at that time.
– I was probably a prosecutor, and my working day was one Sunday, you saw me 2 times. Now you confirm that million-dollar work was done there?
The prosecutor objected to the question, noting that the witness has already answered the question.
Aghvan Hovsepyan responded to the public prosecutor in the following way: “If it’s convenient for you, dear prosecutor, that everyone comes and repeats like a parrot that million-dollar work was done there, it’s not convenient for me, because tomorrow or the day after I’m going to prove where that 1 million that was spent from my children’s business money went, how they committed fraud, took that too.”
The public prosecutor emphasized that there is an expert conclusion regarding the apartment and villa.
Full questioning of witnesses here.
