ArmInfo. The Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA) expresses deep concern about the recent disproportionate actions of the legal system against businessmen and government officials.
As noted in the UMBA-issued statement received by ArmInfo, while advocating the need to fully disclose any violation of the law and punish the perpetrators, the Union nevertheless considers it unacceptable when, in the case of an alleged economic crime, even at the preliminary stage of the investigation of the case, when guilt has not even been established , extreme methods of suppression, including detention, are unreasonably applied to businessmen, as well as government officials.
"A recent example of the above is the arrest of the founder and director of SYNERGY Ashot Oganesyan and other defendants in the same case, when the latter were deprived of the opportunity to engage in normal activities, their business reputation suffered, and the corresponding case is still under investigation. We believe that such a preventive measure is disproportionate and unjustified. Such an approach to businessmen leaves a negative imprint both on their initiative and on attracting foreign investment," the statement reads.
A criminal case was opened against a number of officials of the Ministry of Economy and representatives of the private sector on January 31. According to investigators, as part of the tender "Creation of a bank for public investment programs," officials entered into a conspiracy with the head of one of the companies, creating artificial obstacles to the participation of its competitor. As a result, the company that submitted an application three times more expensive (392 million drams - almost $100 thousand) won. Later it became known that the company in question was Synergy. Currently, the director of the company, Ashot Hovhannisyan, has been arrested in connection with the case; former employee of the company, daughter- in-law of the Speaker of Parliament Ani Gevorkyan; another employee of the company, as well as the head of the public investment policy department of the Ministry of Energy, Lily Sirakanyan. The dismissed Deputy Minister of Economy Ani Ispiryan was placed under house arrest.
The day before it was reported that the decisions to arrest the founder-director and employee of the Synergy International Systems company Ashot Hovhannisyan and Lily Mkryan as part of the case of abuse and abuse of power in the Ministry of Economy of Armenia were appealed to the Court of Appeal. Earlier, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia received a request for personal guarantee from deputies of the "Civil Contract" faction in this case.