The Investigative Committee Reports on Abuses During Hrayr Tovmasyan's Tenure as Minister

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has reported substantial details regarding cases of abuse during Hrayr Tovmasyan's tenure as Justice Minister. This information emerged as part of a criminal investigation conducted alongside the Armenian police's various branches.

According to the statement from the Investigative Committee's Information and Public Relations Department, an investigation revealed that Norair Panosyan, who served as the head of the legality oversight inspectorate within the Ministry of Justice from 2011 to 2014, engaged in corrupt activities alongside several officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Yerevan City Hall.

The investigation indicated that, under the pretext of official duties, Panosyan and his accomplices exploited their positions to benefit personally and financially. They issued verbal instructions to notaries operating in Yerevan to obstruct their professional activities and threatened them with dismissal, while also providing indirect information about privatization matters.

Specifically, they deprived the notaries of their rights to register claims for free use of properties under Article 91(3) of the Law on Notaries, a right that previously qualified notaries were entitled to enjoy. As a result, the state and community suffered significant financial harm.

In particular, through collusion and manipulation, Panosyan and others obtained real estate in Yerevan at values much lower than the market rate, thus generating substantial losses for the municipality and depriving notaries of operating rights on properties they had utilized for years.

The former head of the Ministry of Justice's legality oversight inspectorate, Norair Panosyan, has been arrested on charges under Article 308(2) of the Criminal Code of Armenia. Simultaneously, Tigran Davtyan Ter-Harutyunov, an employee of the 'Land and Property Transactions' LLC who appraised the publicly owned areas, has also been detained under suspicion of committing similar offenses.

The investigation is ongoing, with necessary procedural actions being undertaken to clarify all significant circumstances and to identify those responsible for these unlawful activities.

Note: A suspect in a criminal offense is presumed innocent until proven guilty as per the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, under a legally valid court decision.