Vladimir Tamrazyan, who is a lawyer and has the special rank of colonel of Customs Service, has been the head of the Western Customs and Tax Committee for the past nine months. At the time of assuming this position, 35-year-old Vladimir Tamrazyan declared:
Lexus LX 570,
Lexus ES 250,
3 land plots,
800 000 Euros,
$ 750,000,
400 000 000 AMD.
That is, only money savings in AMD are more than $ 2 million. And as of the day of assuming office, the income made about 3 million AMD, which was received from wages.
From the biography of Vladimir Tamrazyan, published on the official website of the SRC, he began his career in July 2006 when he began working at the Ararat Brandy Wine-Vodka factory in Yerevan as the Deputy Director. He worked only 7 months in this post.
Later, from 2007 up to now, Vladimir Tamrazyan has occupied exclusively government posts:
Vladimir Tamrazyan’s work experience
- 01.07.06 – 06.02.07 – Deputy Director of Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory
- 06.02.07—13.04.07 – Acting leading specialist at Control Service of RA Prime Minister of RA Government Staff
- 13.04.07- 108.01.08- Leading specialist at Control Service of RA Prime Minister of RA Government Staff
- 09.01.08- 27.06.08 – Head of Control Evaluation Division of Internal Control Department of RA Control Chamber
- 27.06.08- 04.12.08 – Deputy Head of 11th Department of RA Control Chamber
- 11.12.08 – 24.12.08 – Deputy Head of Special Division of RA SRC
- 24.12.08-23.05.14 – Deputy Head of ARCH of RA SRC
- 23.05.14 -08.08.14 – Deputy Head of ARCH of RA MF
- 08.08.14 – Head of Zvartnots Customs House of RA MF
- 2016 – 2017 – Head of Zvartnots regionalCustoms House of RA SRC
- From 2017 – Head of Western Customs House Department.
Has the special rank of Colonel of Customs Service.
“Ecology VKH” Company and high-ranking SRC official
“Ecology VKH” LLC is engaged in the destruction of biological wastes. In March 2009, by decision 449-A of the Government, the Company received a license to destroy medical wastes. The Company operates in Echmiadzin.
The State Register of Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice states that 35% of this Company belongs to Vladimir Tamrazyan, the other 30% belongs to T & Z Company in Germany and 35% belongs to Petros Kocharyan, registered in Moscow. 
This Company had a number of lawsuits during its activities. But one of those cases is perhaps more interesting.
In 2010, the SRC filed a lawsuit against the Company claiming to levy about 7.6 million AMD from the Company. We find out from the decision of the case that the complaint filed by the SRC was based on the violations of “Ecology VKH” LLC, of the Laws “On Value Added Tax”, “On Mandatory Social Security Payments”, “On Profit Tax” and “On Taxes”. And as a result of these violations, the obligations to the state budget arose due to the arrears and penalties imposed on it.
The court denied the SRC’s claim against this Company’s considering confirmed the fact that the Company had repaid its obligations. The case was examined by Artur Tsaturyan, Judge of the Administrative Court.
Here is the chronology of events:
- On August 23, the State Revenue Committee filed a lawsuit to the court. The SRC also applied to the court with a motion to impose a suit against the amount required to satisfy the claim.
- On September 16, however, the SRC filed a motion to eliminate the claim.
- With an interesting coincidence, Vladimir Tamrazyan became the owner of this Company’s shares on September 14. At the same time, in 2008-2014, Vladimir Tamrazyan was Deputy Head of the State Revenue Committee.
- The verdict was adopted on 11 November, 2010 and was not appealed. It entered into legal force a month later.
Meanwhile, in May 2010, the SRC also filed a lawsuit against this Company with a request to levy a larger amount of about 30.4 million AMD. However, in this case, the court satisfied the suit, claiming to pay 30.4 million AMD, the Company’s former director, Khachik Ghazaryan. The latter was the director of the Company from 9 April to 7 October, 2010. This case was also examined by Judge Artur Tsaturyan, Judge of the Administrative Court.
Vladimir Tamrazyan was director of another Company during his work of the SRC.
Maria Tamrazyan is the owner of 100% shares of “Ani” LLC since March 1997. She and Vladimir Tamrazyan are registered at the same address and it is assumed that Maria Tamrazyan is his mother.
Maria Tamrazyan became 100% shareholder of this Company on 29 August, 2017. And this was just It was on the same day that Vladimir Tamrazyan ceased to be the owner of shares.
From data of the State Register of Legal Entities it is clear that Vladimir Tamrazyan was the owner of this Company from January 2005 till August 2017. Moreover, Vladimir Tamrazyan was also the director of “Ani” Company during this period. To remind, since February 2007 he was a public servant.
By the way, the SRC taxpayer search system informs us that the Company is operating but there is no information on its type of activity.
Vladimir Tamrazyan’s wife’s business
There is information about only one Company named after Mr. Tamrazyan’s wife, Rebecca Abrahamyan. We learn from the State Registrar of Legal Entities, that Rebeka Abrahamyan owns 25 percent of the shares of “MIT Invest” LLC since 17 September, 2014. The taxpayer search system reports that the Company’s activities have been temporarily suspended.
Thus, it can be noted that Vladimir Tamrazyan did not declare his position on “Ecology VKH”at the moment of assuming the new position in June 2017, also there is no indication of the fact that he had a share in “Ani” Company and being the director of that Company (he assuemed his last position in the SRC in June 2017 and stopped participating in the Company on 29 August).
Pursuant to Article 44 of the Law on Public Service, the Commission on Ethics of High-Ranking Officials of Armenia, should initiate proceedings on its own initiative on this case. At the same time Paragraph 7 of the same article defines:
“If the Commission on Ethics of High-Ranking Officials comes to the conclusion that there is evidence that the intentional failure to present the declaration or to present false information in the declaration or to conceal the data subject to declaration, the proceedings by the reasoned decision shall be immediately constituted, but no later than within a three-day period, sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Armenia, accepting a decision to suspend the proceedings.”
Article 314.3 of the Criminal Code provides a fraudulent statement in the declarations or concealment of the information subject to declaration: in the case of this act a punishment a fine of 200 thousand AMD up to 3 years of imprisonment with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities may be imposed.
Notably, the illicit enrichment has been criminalized since 1 July, 2017. And from now on, officials will be called to account in the case of not declaring property and income in case of revealing illegal property and income.
Astghik Karapetyan
