ArmInfo. Official investigation launched against Yuri Ivanyan, head of investigation team on Anulsar case. The head of the information and public relations department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Naira Harutyunyan stated this in an interview with ArmInfo correspondent.
According to Harutyunyan, the basis for starting an internal investigation was information recently published in the media that the Minister of Nature Protection, who in 2016 approved a reformed Amulsar operation project submitted by Lydian Armenia, is a relative of Ivaniyn. It should be noted that in 2016 Aramayis Grigoryan was the Minister of Nature Protection. It should be noted that a second wave of discontent arose in Armenia against the Lydian company after the conclusion of the ELARD and the statement of the Investigative Committee, whose head Hayk Grigoryan and the head of the investigation yeam in the Amulsar case Yuri Ivanyan, based on the ELARD conclusion, stated that there were minimal risks of operating the Amulsar mine . Nevertheless, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, after a video conference with representatives of ELARD, said that many questions remained that needed answers. In particular, an expert at the company, Ricardo Khoury, said that the examinations carried out on the basis of a document three years ago are not enough to determine the real extent of the risks. During the videoconference, it was also established that the OC sent a letter to the company with a request to clarify whether the risks associated with the operation of the mine are manageable, and if not, explain how they can be made so. As it turned out, the answers to these questions were not provided for by the contract with the company. But the company still gave the necessary explanations. In fact, it turned out that the government did not know about this letter to the IC and ELARD representatives sent it only during a video conference.
In turn, Ivanyan said that on his part there was no deliberate concealment of the facts, and the decision on the safe operation of the mine was made on the basis of the conclusions of various structures. To recall Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of British Lydian International. The total cost of the Amulsar project is $ 370 million. The min's life will be 10 years and 4 months, with an average of 200 thousand ounces of gold being mined annually. Amulsar mine is the second largest reserves in Armenia. According to the company, the mine contains about 73733 kg of gold with an average grade of 0.78 g per ton, as well as 294.367 tons of silver with an average grade of 9.29 g per ton