Norayr Panozyan, the Protégé of Hrayr Tovmasyan, Arrested

The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan, presided over by Judge Artush Gabrielyan, has recently decided to grant the request of the Investigative Committee and selected arrest as a preventive measure against Norayr Panozyan, who is accused of abusing his official position and is a protégé of Constitutional Court President Hrayr Tovmasyan.

It is worth reminding that during Hrayr Tovmasyan's tenure as Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, Norayr Panozyan, who held the position of head of the Department for Oversight of Legality within the Ministry of Justice, was arrested. The investigation has revealed that between 2011 and 2014, Panozyan, together with several other officials from the same ministry and the Yerevan Municipality, abused their official positions for selfish purposes, as well as other personal interests and group benefits.

They allegedly issued verbal orders to the notaries operating at the location of 14 First Dead End on Baghramyan Avenue, coercing them under the threat of job termination and hindering their professional activities. Furthermore, they indirectly informed a notary working at the address of 55 Bagratuniatz Street concerning their involvement in the privatization of the area, effectively stripping notaries of their rights as previously appointed and qualified notaries to use the properties renovated by them and occupied based on the government decision from May 29, 2009, number 604-N. This action aimed to illegally acquire said real estate, resulting in significant damage to the state, the community of Yerevan, as well as the rights and legal interests of the mentioned notaries, and inadvertently caused serious consequences.