Former Kindergarten Site Leased by YECM for 4 Years; Criminal Case Initiated

The former kindergarten site located at 20/4 Paronyan Street in Yerevan, which was granted for free use to the Yerevan Youth Committee Movement (YECM) until 2017, has been partially leased out by the organization. The leased space has served as a massage room. A criminal case has now been initiated in relation to this incident, reports Hetq.am.

“Fifteen kindergartens have been closed in the center, the space has been sold,” a citizen contacted the Hetq editorial office after we conducted our investigation, explaining that starting from 2014, the YECM leased a portion of the space at 20/4 Paronyan for 250,000 AMD per month, unaware that this space was community property. Liana Shahbazyan shared the details with Hetq.

Following the arrest of former YECM president Manvel Grigoryan, representatives of the YECM territorial organization approached Liana, requesting her to cease operations at the leased space, which raised her suspicions and led her to inquire further about the property. After submitting a request to the Yerevan City Hall, she discovered that not only was the space community-owned, but the contract granted to YECM for free use had expired in 2017.

Upon understanding that she had been leasing a property that was considered community property for years, Liana Shahbazyan reported the matter to the National Security Service. A criminal case has been opened under Article 214, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the misuse of authority by individuals in commercial organizations or other entities for personal gain or to benefit others, potentially causing significant harm to individuals' rights and legal interests, punishable by fines or imprisonment.

In this case, Liana Shahbazyan has been recognized as a victim. Initially, she paid the money to the former head of the YECM Central Territorial Structure, Ruben Nazaretian, and later to the current leader, Sergey Gasparyan. In response to our inquiry, the Investigative Committee reported that both have been interrogated and are considered witnesses in the case.

When asked how Liana Shahbazyan managed to lease the property without property documents, our interviewee replied that everyone in the neighborhood knew that the property belonged to the YECM, and “it was impossible to demand documents from the structure led by commander Manvel Grigoryan.” According to Liana, her parental home is also located in the neighborhood, and many neighbors informed her that the property was community-owned.

“Back then, everyone knew that the space was theirs; probably many neighbors still know that the space is theirs. If it weren't for the response from the city hall, we wouldn't even have known that it is not theirs. What's worse is that none of the money I've paid has gone to the veterans; I need to return that money because there are many people who need help, and I would like to donate that money to those in need,” Liana stated. The investigative authorities have calculated her damage at 11 million 250 thousand AMD.

Liana Viriabyan has also submitted an investment project to Yerevan City Hall. At the end of the year, she met with the deputy mayor, Tigran Viriabyan, to present her investment plan.

She is ready to invest about 58 million AMD if Yerevan City Hall grants her the property at 20/4 Paronyan for free use to operate a kindergarten. In response to our verbal inquiries about the investment project, Yerevan City Hall suggested sending the questions in writing.

Photo source: Hetq.am