Misappropriations at Artashat Theatre: Current and Former Directors Missing

The current and former directors of the Artashat State Drama Theatre named after Amo Khazaryan are missing. According to Tert.am, Geghanush Sayadyan, who served as director for 12 years after the regime change, has been removed from his position. He was replaced by Gagik Rostomyan in the summer of 2018, who, however, has not been attending work, and the theatre staff have no information from him.

Reports suggest that during both the previous and current director's tenures, relatives were registered as employees and paid salaries despite not showing up for work. A source told Tert.am that misappropriations were committed by both the current and former directors, and upon understanding the impending consequences, the current director has fled the country.

Calls to the Education, Culture, and Sports Department of the Ararat regional administration and the Public Relations Division remained unanswered.

Tert.am has sought clarification from the Investigative Committee of Armenia regarding misappropriations at the Artashat Theatre, where it was disclosed that criminal cases have been initiated and combined into a single proceeding.

“A criminal case has been opened regarding the misappropriations at the Artashat Theatre under Article 179, Part 3, and Article 314, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code. The directors of the theatre do not have a procedural status in the case,” said Naira Harutyunyan, head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Investigative Committee.

It should be noted that Part 3 of Article 179 of the Criminal Code defines misappropriation or waste in large quantities, while Part 1 of Article 314 defines official forgery.