ArmInfo.Director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Ara Vardanyan was released on bail of AMD 1 million on July 5.
The investigative department of the National Security Service of Armenia applied for the arrest of Vardanyan, but, according to the lawyer of the last Yervand Varosyan, the investigator also did not object to the pledge as a preventive measure against the director of the Hayastan fund. At the same time Vardanyan does not admit his guilt and denies the appropriation of the fund's resources, as well as abuse of office.
Recall that on July 3, the director of the Hayastan Fund, Ara Vardanyan, was detained by representatives of the National Security Service. As previously reported by the press service of the National Security Service, the director of the fund under pressure admitted that he owned the credit card granted to the fund with a credit line of 25 million drams, which he used for personal purposes, including during bets in online casinos. However, Vardanyan also noted that he returned the money spent from the credit card at the expense of the amounts that were donated to the fund. Vardanyan also transferred personal cash to the accounting department and concealed the fact of appropriation of the fund's resources. . From 2016 to 2018 Vardanyan transferred about 130 million drams to on-line casinos.
However, Vardanyan's lawyer stated that the investigation had no grounds for detaining his client, since his actions lacked the composition of the crime, therefore, he cannot be held accountable. Moreover, according to Varosyan, the director of the fund
"Hayastan" of its activities did not cause damage to the organization. Also, Varosyan stated that no funds were being made from the fund's resources. The lawyer noted that the fund has a credit line and a credit card through which payments were made, but then, cash was returned to the site. And this is in no way connected with the fund's donations.
In the Diaspora, through telethon and other means, donations were collected, and the fund was financed by social programs in Armenia and Artsakh. According to the report in 2017, the fund spent more than 5 billion 700 million drams.