RA Investigative Committee completes investigation into cases of  Seyran Ohanyan and Artsvik Minasyan 

ArmInfo. The Investigative Committee of Armenia has completed the preliminary investigation into the case of former Defense Minister, now head of the opposition "Armenia" faction of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan and former Minister of Ecology, now MP Artsvik  Minasyan and 4 other persons.

As reported by the Investigative Committee, S.O. (Seyran Ohanyan),  being a person obliged to file a declaration, concealed information  about a land plot of 10,526 square meters in the Gegharkunik region  and the buildings located on it in the annual declaration of  property, income, interest and expenses submitted in 2021 and subject  to declaration, which led to the failure to declare property on an  especially large scale.

Employees of the Ministry of Ecology are also involved in the case.

The criminal proceedings against 6 persons were separated into a  separate proceeding and sent together with the indictment to the  supervising prosecutor with a motion for its approval and transfer to  the court for consideration on the merits.

Earlier, on July 7, Seyran Ohanyan and Artsvik Minasyan were deprived  of parliamentary immunity. At the extraordinary session of the  National Assembly, presenting the motion, RA Prosecutor General Anna  Vardapetyan noted that the preliminary investigation conducted by the  Military Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee in  2017 within the framework of the criminal case initiated by it,  obtained factual data that a land plot of 10,526 square meters at the  address Drakhtik community, Gegharkunik region, 1st street, 71, which  is part of the territory of the Sevan National Park SNCO and is state  property, was seized and in 2010-2015 a private house without the  right to build was built on the said land plot by a person obliged to  submit a declaration. On December 12, 2016, as a result of the  competition held by the interdepartmental competition commission, the  only winner was recognized as Yerevan resident Beniamin Surenovich  Galechyan. The said land plot was provided to him with the right to  lease and build for a period of 25 years, with an investment of 250  million drams over two years for the construction of a recreation  area. During the preliminary investigation, it was also established  that the land plot of 10,526 sq.m. located at the above-mentioned  address, which is part of the territory of the Sevan National Park  SNCO, which is state property, and the private house illegally built  on it, have actually been in the possession of the person obliged to  file a declaration since 2010. Anna Vardapetyan added that Seyran  Ohanyan, from April 14, 2008 to September 9, 2016, while holding the  position of Minister of Defense, took possession of this land without  legal grounds, erecting illegal buildings on it without the right to  construction.

As for Artsvik Minasyan, according to Vardapetyan, Minasyan, who held  the position of Minister of Environmental Protection of the Republic  of Armenia from September 27, 2016 to May 12, 2018, did not fulfill  his official duties based on group interests, used his official  position contrary to the interests of the service, as a result of  which significant harm was caused to the legitimate interests of  society and the state.  In particular, Artsvik Minasyan was informed  that Seyran Ohanyan, who held the position of Minister of Defense,  illegally occupied a land plot of 10,526 square meters during  2010-2015, located at the address:  Drakhtik community, 1st street,  house 71, which is a specially protected natural area included in the  territory of the Sevan National Park SNCO and belongs to the Republic  of Armenia, and arbitrarily erected illegal buildings on the said  territory in the absence of the right to construction. According to  the Prosecutor General, Artsvik Minasyan, having the above  information, based on group interests, did not fulfill his official  duties, did not take measures to eliminate the consequences of the  violations committed, and did not ensure the application of legal  liability measures in relation to the relevant persons.