Former Armenian officials accused of turning national park into private estate

General Department of Investigation of Crimes against the State, Fundamentals of the Constitutional Order and Public Security of the Investigative Committee of Armenia has concluded its preliminary investigation into a high-profile criminal case involving former Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan, former Minister of Nature Protection Artsvik Minasyan, and four other individuals.

The case centers on allegations of abuse of power, illegal appropriation of state property, and large-scale corruption, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

An official statement by the Investigative Committee’s says:

“Seyran Ohanyan, who was required to submit declarations, concealed information in 2021 upon taking office and in his annual declaration about a land plot with an area of 10,526 square metres and the buildings located on it in the Gegharkunik (Bashkend- ed.) region, which are under the responsibility of the state NGO ‘Sevan National Park’ and are subject to declaration. This led to the concealment of property on a particularly large scale.”

The investigation revealed that between 2010 and 2015, while serving in a senior government role, Seyran Ohanyan unlawfully seized the state-owned land and, with the assistance of then head of the capital construction and troop accommodation department of the Armenian Ministry of Defence, and others, constructed unauthorized buildings on the site for personal use. The value of these buildings exceeds the legal threshold defined under Armenia’s Criminal Code for particularly large amounts of illicitly acquired property.

The work on the estate was reportedly carried out by a construction firm linked to the family of the former head of the production and technical department within the same defence ministry office. The reconstruction, valued at approximately 58 million drams ($151, 7 thousand), was executed on the orders of officials as a form of compensation for favors linked to their official positions.

Furthermore, the investigation accuses former Minister of Nature Protection and additional government officials of knowingly facilitating the illegal land seizure and construction. They allegedly organized a fictitious public tender to lease the seized land and retroactively legitimize the unauthorized developments.

In an effort to obscure his involvement, Ohanyan arranged for the lease and construction permits to be formally issued under the name of his driver's mother’s nephew. The interdepartmental tender commission, allegedly driven by personal and group interests, violated government regulations by awarding the lease and issuing a 25-year building permit, resulting in serious consequences.

The investigation determined that Ohanyan used his position of power to direct the construction of a mansion on land designated as a specially protected natural area. Procurement contractors and employees associated with the Ministry of Defence were reportedly involved in the project, with military police officers assigned to guard the premises. These officers were paid salaries from the state budget totaling no less than 13.12 million drams ($34,4 thousand) from 2011 to 2016.

Due to Ohanyan's senior position, local officials and staff of the Sevan National Park reportedly failed to take any legal or administrative measures to prevent or penalize the land seizure and construction.

Former head of the capital construction and troop accommodation department of the Armenian Ministry of Defence, acting on behalf of Ohanyan, is accused of organizing and overseeing the large-scale construction project, which led to a significant discrepancy between Ohanyan’s legal income and actual property holdings.

The Investigative Committee concluded that the actions of the high-ranking officials caused substantial harm to the legitimate interests of the state and society. Their conduct reportedly disrupted the functions of the Ministry of Defence, compromised procurement processes, drew public employees into unlawful activities, and resulted in the misappropriation of public funds.

By Vafa Guliyeva