I Am Accused of Illegal Enrichment of Nearly $10,000 – It's Absurd, Says Alen Simonian

The news website "Fip.am" has published an investigation that effectively accuses me of illegal enrichment amounting to nearly $10,000. I want to immediately state that this is yet another absurd news item that is being circulated. This was stated by Alen Simonian, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, on his Facebook page.

Simonain specifically mentioned in his statement:

The observations, assumptions, and conclusions included in the article are false and tarnish my reputation, both as the Deputy Speaker and as a citizen who fights for legality and transparency. For this reason, I decided to respond to the accusations raised so that no misconceptions arise among the citizens.

Currently, I drive a 2012 RANGE ROVER, which I purchased on June 12, 2018. The vehicle was acquired for 12 million drams, or approximately $25,500. Where did that money come from? I sold my previous vehicle, a MITSUBISHI ASX, and raised loan funds to purchase the car.

I submitted my declaration to the Ethics Commission for High-Ranking Officials on June 15, 2018, and as I mentioned, I bought the vehicle on June 12, which means that by the time I filled out my declaration, that vehicle already belonged to me, and it would have been strange if I had not declared it.

Moreover, the authors of the publication claim that my wife did not submit her property and income declaration. This information is also false. The declaration was submitted to the Ethics Commission within the legally stipulated deadlines, and if the journalist wanted to know why it is not available on the website, they could have checked with the Ethics Commission, but that was not done.

Regarding the apartment that my wife and I purchased, I must highlight that it was bought from the developer in an unfinished state for $44,000. We paid this amount using the proceeds from the sale of my previous apartment.

Dear friends and journalists, I have always acted legally and transparently and have always supported public accountability. Once again, I want to emphasize that the accusation of illegal enrichment directed at me is absurd, not to mention the slander and false accusations, which are punishable offenses.

I also appeal to the editorial team of "fip.am." Based on Article 8, Clause 1 of the Law on Mass Media, I demand a retraction of the article titled "Fake Data in Alen Simonian's Declaration" published on May 31, which contains misinformation about me and my wife, or prove that these facts correspond to reality. I also feel it is necessary to inform that, according to Article 8, Clause 9 of the same law, in the event of refusal to publish a retraction, the person has the right to apply to the court in accordance with the law.