At the Anti-Corruption Criminal Court today, July 9, a court session was held in the case of former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan and 6 other individuals. The session is presided over by Judge Aram Grigoryan.
The case involves former CSTO Secretary General and former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Grigor Khachaturov, Manuk Vardanyan, Hakob Martirosyan, Armen Gevorgyan, Norayr Karapetyan, and Edgar Arshakyan.
It should be noted that the motion to videotape and photograph the session was rejected because the defendants objected.
As a reminder, in this case Seyran Ohanyan is charged under Article 179, Part 3, Point 1 of the former Criminal Code – 2 episodes, and Article 308, Part 2 – 2 episodes (embezzlement of property in particularly large amounts and abuse of official powers, which negligently caused serious consequences), which correspond to Article 256, Part 3, Point 3 and Article 441, Part 2, Point 3 of the currently effective Criminal Code.
Grigor Khachaturov is charged under Article 190, Part 3, Points 1 and 3 of the Criminal Code (money laundering committed in particularly large amounts and using official position).
According to Iravaban.net, at this session the court established the sequence of the scope of evidence to be examined. It was decided to first examine written evidence, question witnesses, then question 2 more witnesses who had been defendants in this case but against whom criminal prosecution was subsequently dropped, and finally question the defendants.
The court moved to the admissibility of evidence phase, but there were no such issues, and since there were no other actions related to the preliminary hearing phase, the court proceeded to the main hearing phase.
The public prosecutor first presented the charges against Seyran Ohanyan. He stated that in 2009, the latter used his official position contrary to the interests of the service in 2 episodes, which negligently caused serious consequences. He noted that Ohanyan had transferred the special structures located in Armash community entrusted to him and the land plots on them to another person for profit-seeking purposes, embezzling them through other means of waste.
In addition, Seyran Ohanyan concluded a purchase and sale agreement on January 13, 2009, between Edgar Arshakyan, a person connected to Grigor Khachaturov, for the special-purpose area located in the same community and the structure on it, according to which the land with a total market value of 59 million 560 thousand drams and the structures on it – the military unit headquarters of 252.8 sq.m., the barracks of 366.4 sq.m., the dining hall of 186.9 sq.m., the structure with a total area of 630.6 sq.m., the canopy, the boiler house, the sanitary facilities, and the passport control point – were de facto sold to Grigor Khachaturov at an incomparably low price of only 4 million drams.
According to the charges, in another episode, through Ohanyan’s mediation, the real ownership of one of the properties was distorted, which is again located in Armash community, and the 59 million 560 thousand dram real estate obtained through criminal means was included in Grigor Khachaturov’s property fund and legalized: “Seyran Ohanyan ordered the alienation at incomparably low prices compared to market prices of the special-purpose ‘Yeraskh 2’ military camp area worth 46 million 480 thousand drams in Armash community of Ararat region and the structure on it.”
“As a result of the abuse of their official powers by State Committee on Real Estate Chairman Manuk Vardanyan and his deputy Ashot Musayan, at the instigation of Real Estate Registration Department Head Hakob Martirosyan of the committee, and the exceeding of official powers by Vedi territorial subdivision head, State Register of Real Estate Edik Avetisyan, the mentioned real estate was formally registered as property in the Cadastre Committee under the name of Norayr Karapetyan and a certificate was issued,” said the public prosecutor, noting that as a result of all this, the real estate worth about 46 million 480 thousand drams was included in Armen Gevorgyan’s property fund and legalized.
The public prosecutor subsequently presented the charges attributed to the others, which was not completed in this session. The next session in the case will take place on July 23.
