Infocom: Investigator Yura Ivanyan in Amulsar Case Has Family Ties to Former Minister of Environment

In 2016, GeoTim LLC (renamed to Lydian Armenia LLC in 2016) submitted a modified project for the exploitation of Amulsar and received a positive conclusion from the Ministry of Environment on April 29 of the same year. The positive conclusion for the project was issued by the Environmental Impact Assessment Expertise Center, which was confirmed by the Minister of Environment at the time, Aramayis Grigoryan.

As we know, on July 20, 2018, a criminal case was initiated at the Investigative Committee concerning the exploitation of the gold-bearing quartzite mine at Amulsar, regarding the intentional concealment of information about environmental pollution by officials. During the preparation of materials, it was uncovered that relevant officials from the Ministry of Environment of Armenia, while being aware of the dangerous risks of chemical contamination of the environment from the exploitation of the mentioned complex, intentionally concealed information from the public regarding environmental pollution with chemicals that pose a danger to people’s lives and health.

On August 28, 2018, Yura Seryozha Ivanyan was appointed as the head of the Anti-Corruption, Crimes Against Property, and Cybercrime Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. Yura Ivanyan is also the head of the investigation group for the Amulsar case.

Infocom sought to determine whether there are any familial ties between the former Minister of Environment Aramayis Grigoryan and Yura Ivanyan, the head of the investigation group in the Amulsar case. The basis for the investigation was the fact that both Yura Ivanyan and Aramayis Grigoryan were born in the village of Avshar in the Ararat region. The results are presented below: