Today, October 3, the hearing of the case against former Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan, Arman Sahakyan, Andranik Kasaryan, Arsen Amyan, Hayk Kyureghyan, Aram Yengoyan, Tigran Potikyan, Mikayel Hakobyan, and Hayk Petrosyan continued in the Anti-Corruption Criminal Court. The hearing is presided over by Judge Sargis Dadoyan.

In this case, Taron Margaryan has been charged on the following grounds:

From July 6, 2009, to November 15, 2011, he served as the First Deputy Mayor of Yerevan, and from November 15, 2011, to July 9, 2018, as the Mayor of Yerevan. Being an official permanently occupying organizational-managerial functions in local self-government bodies as the First Deputy Mayor and then Mayor of Yerevan, he had the authority to manage and organize the work of the municipality, ensure the preservation of geodetic points and boundary markers within Yerevan’s administrative boundaries, make decisions within his competence, and dispose of property considered to be Yerevan’s ownership, in accordance with the RA laws “On Local Self-Government” and “On Local Self-Government in Yerevan City”. He abused his official powers.

Arman Galust Sahakyan has been charged on the following grounds:

From June 22, 2011, to May 12, 2018, he held the position of Head of the State Property Management Department adjunct to the RA Government. Being an official permanently performing organizational-managerial functions, he abused his official powers.

Arsen Amyan has been charged on the following grounds:

From December 5, 2007, to September 27, 2019, he held the position of Head of the Real Estate Management Department of Yerevan Municipality staff. Being an official permanently performing organizational-managerial functions, he had the responsibility to organize the department’s work and prepare draft decisions of the Yerevan Mayor on issues related to the department’s statutory functions, as defined by his job description and the department’s charter. He abused his official powers.

Hayk Kyureghyan has been charged on the following grounds:

From April 22, 2011, to March 11, 2014, he held the position of Leading Specialist in the Land Allocation and Land Use Division of the Architecture and Urban Development Department of Yerevan Municipality staff. According to his job description, he had the authority to study applications and letters from individuals and legal entities regarding land allocation, land use, and land alienation, provide professional conclusions, ensure the preparation of master plans based on Yerevan Mayor’s decisions, and submit them to the head of the department for approval. In the process of clarifying the boundaries of the land area occupied by “Yerevan Special School No. 16” SNCO located at 40 Acharyan Street in Yerevan, and subsequently separating and alienating land from the school’s occupied area, he assisted in the abuse of official powers by Yerevan Municipality officials, including Andranik Kasaryan, Head of the Architecture and Urban Development Department, and in the latter’s commission of official forgery.

Aram Yengoyan has been charged on the following grounds:

From July 23, 2012, to January 8, 2016, he held the position of Deputy Head of the Geodesy Department at “Urban Development” CJSC of Yerevan Municipality. According to his employment contract, he had the responsibility to perform topographic (geodetic) measurements and surveys. In 2012, in the process of clarifying the boundaries of the land area occupied by “Yerevan Preschool Educational Institution No. 64” SNCO located at 12 Avanesov Street in Yerevan, and subsequently separating and alienating land from the preschool institution’s occupied area, he assisted in the abuse of official powers by Yerevan Municipality officials, including his immediate supervisor, Taron Grigoryan, Head of the Geodesy Department at “Urban Development” CJSC of Yerevan Municipality.

Tigran Potikyan has been charged on the following grounds:

From February 3, 2014, he held the position of Leading Specialist in the Geodesy Department at “Urban Development” CJSC of Yerevan Municipality. According to his employment contract, he had the responsibility to perform topographic (geodetic) measurements and surveys. In 2014, in the process of clarifying the boundaries of the land area occupied by “Yerevan Preschool Educational Institution No. 64” SNCO located at 12 Avanesov Street in Yerevan, and subsequently separating and alienating land from the preschool institution’s occupied area, he assisted in the abuse of official powers by Yerevan Municipality officials, including his immediate supervisor, Taron Grigoryan, Head of the Geodesy Department at “Urban Development” CJSC of Yerevan Municipality.

Mikayel Hakobyan has been charged on the following grounds:

From April 1, 2010, to June 1, 2012, he held the position of Leading Specialist in the Geodesy Department at “Urban Development” CJSC of Yerevan Municipality. According to his employment contract, he had the responsibility to perform topographic (geodetic) measurements and surveys. In 2011, in the process of clarifying the boundaries of the land area occupied by “Yerevan Special School No. 16” SNCO located at 40 Acharyan Street in Yerevan, and subsequently separating and alienating land from the school’s occupied area, he assisted in the abuse of official powers by Yerevan Municipality officials, including his immediate supervisor, Taron Grigoryan, Head of the Geodesy Department at “Urban Development” CJSC of Yerevan Municipality.

Hayk Petrosyan has been charged on the following grounds:

From May 15, 2012, to August 24, 2015, he held the position of First Class Specialist in the Geodesy Department at “Urban Development” CJSC of Yerevan Municipality. According to his employment contract, he had the responsibility to perform topographic (geodetic) measurements and surveys. In 2013, in the process of clarifying the boundaries of the land area occupied by “Secondary School No. 185” SNCO located at 5 H. Beknazaryan Street in Yerevan, and subsequently separating and alienating land from the school’s occupied area, he assisted in the abuse of official powers by Yerevan Municipality officials.

According to Iravaban.net, advocate Tigran Ghazaryan did not appear at the court hearing. He stated that due to his heavy workload, he could not attend, and he sees no issue with continuing the court session in his absence.

It should be noted that the court is in the phase of examining written evidence in this case. The written evidence confirmed by expert examination, which substantiates the actions incriminated to the defendants, was examined.

The prosecutor stated that the commission of the crime incriminated to the defendants is substantiated according to the construction-technical examination appointed during the preliminary investigation, which began on September 11, 2018, and ended on July 20, 2019.

The documents state that officials of Yerevan Municipality, using their official position contrary to service interests and based on group interests, organized the process of separating 3,851.43 square meters of land from the 15,523 square meters of land occupied by the school located at Hamo Beknazaryan Street and alienating it to three different individuals, based on false land measurements.

The principal of the same school submitted an application to recalculate the boundaries of the school’s land plot and send a new layout. A decision was made to recalculate the school’s land plots and issue a new layout, as a result of which the school’s land plot was reduced from 15,523 square meters to 11,671.57 square meters in three different sections. The three separated land plots were sold by Yerevan Municipality through auction.

Representatives of the defense expressed their positions regarding the written evidence, insisting that according to the results of the examination, they had no authority to alienate the mentioned land plots.

Details are in the video.

Mariam Shahnazaryan