ArmInfo. The National Security Service of Armenia requested some documents from the State Revenue Committee regarding the criminal case against the former head of the SRC, former Minister of Finance Gagik Khachatryan. Current chairman of the Committee, David Ananyan, reported this to journalists after a government meeting.
Ananyan said that the SRC provided the NSS with the requested documents. He explained that the documents provided by the NSS relate to the activities of various business entities.
It should be noted that former head of the SRC, former minister of finance Gagik Khachatryan was detained on charges of embezzlement on an especially large scale and abuse of official position. As the head of the National Security Service Arthur Vanetsyan assured, the question is about millions of dollars. Gagik Khachatryan was detained along with his relative Karen Khachatryan. The latter, under the leadership of Gagik Khachatryan, worked at the SRC and is also accused of embezzlement on an especially large scale and abuse of office. However, as lawyer of Khachatryan, Yerem Sargsyan, assured in the territories belonging to former Minister of Finance Gagik Khachatryan, where searches were conducted by the National Security Service, there were no subject matters that could be of significance for the criminal case against him.
Sargsyan also noted that Gagik Khachatryan was formally detained, but de facto, it was not a detaintion, since the former minister voluntarily visited the NSS from the early hours and participated in investigative activities. "I don't think that he was detained, despite the fact that a corresponding decision was drawn up. Regarding the detention, it should be noted that, according to the law, it is carried out either immediately after the commission of the crime or in the course of preventing the crime. Meanwhile, Khachatryan accused of crimes allegedly committed by him from 2010-2016 during his tenure in various positions. Obviously, he cannot be arrested for actions committed in 2010, "the lawyer said, adding that in any case the issue will be resolved within 72 hours, accordance with the law. To recall, Khachatryan is undergoing yet another case under the jurisdiction of the Special Investigation Service. In the framework of this case, he is held together with the Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan. The question is about abuses in the process of distributing preferential fertilizers to peasants. According to the investigation, the amount of abuse reaches 800 million drams, which, however, were recovered. However, the criminal case is ongoing. As Vanetsyan noted the day before, most likely, both cases will be merged into one proceeding, since two criminal cases cannot be initiated against one person at once. Over the years Gagik Khachatryan held high positions under both the presidency of Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan. In particular, he was appointed to the post of chairman of the State Revenue Committee in August 2008. From 2014 to 2016, he headed the Ministry of Finance of Armenia. Various large businesses are affiliated with the name of Khachatryan, both in Armenia and abroad.