Rental Areas of the Botanical Garden Used for Different Purposes, Payment Collected at Half the Rate

The Armenian Prosecutor's Office has discovered evidence of corrupt practices in the management of rental areas at the Botanical Garden. The land was initially leased for 62,000 AMD per month but later increased to 100,000 AMD per month, amounting to 1.2 million AMD annually. However, if the Armenian government's regulations were followed, the rent should have been at least 2.5 million AMD per year or about 209,000 AMD per month.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported that the State Audit Office had submitted documents regarding the monitoring of the rental process for the areas of the ‘Institute of Botany named after A. Takhtajyan’ SNCO. The investigation revealed indicators of apparent corruption. Specifically, it was found that the land, located at 1 Acharyan Street in Yerevan, was designated for 'residential use' but was practically intended for establishing a botanical garden.

In 2016, the SNCO signed a one-year lease agreement with ‘L... G...’ LLC for a 1,000 square meter area, which was extended annually until December 31, 2020. Inspections conducted by state audit employees revealed that the LLC was using the land for selling construction materials, which is inconsistent with its intended operational purpose of establishing a botanical garden.

Although the lease agreement stipulated that in case of significant violations of the use of the land, the landlord could seek early termination of the contract through court, no actions were taken by the responsible officials to resolve the issue or reclaim the land.

On December 30, 2011, the SNCO also signed a lease agreement with ‘K... G...’ for a 3,000 square meter area designated for landscaping, which was extended until December 31, 2018. However, as of March 12, 2020, the area was enclosed by a stone perimeter with a concrete foundation and had not been returned to the SNCO after the lease expired. It was found that the company was conducting retail trade in fruits and vegetables on the premises, again not in line with the intended purpose of 'establishing a botanical garden.'

Furthermore, in violation of the government's resolutions dated February 22, 2001, and December 24, 2003, the stated land was rented at 62,000 AMD per month, later adjusted to set the annual rent at 1.2 million AMD (100,000 AMD per month). Adhering to the initial government decisions, the rent should have been twice the amount—at least 2.5 million AMD annually—or approximately 209,000 AMD monthly. In total, the rental payment was under-calculated and collected about 12 million AMD less, causing equal damage to the SNCO.

In light of the ongoing monitoring and investigation, evidence of apparent abuse of official powers by the responsible officials has been obtained, leading to the initiation of a criminal case under Article 308, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code by the State Interests Protection Department of the Prosecutor General's Office. The case has been forwarded to the Investigative Committee of Armenia for further investigation.