Criminal Case Initiated by Special Investigative Service Regarding Reconstruction of Odeon Outdoor Cafe

On May 3, 2020, the Special Investigative Service of Armenia initiated a criminal investigation following a Facebook post by Manvel Ter-Arakelyan, a participant of the 'HIN ERIVAN HOLDING' LLC, which was published in the media. The investigation revealed that on November 16, 2007, a construction permit was granted to the company owned by Ter-Arakelyan to reconstruct the Odeon outdoor cafe located in a 564 sqm area adjacent to Tumanyan Street, within the National Opera and Ballet Theater garden, to operate it within a two-year timeframe.

The company commenced reconstruction work in 2008; however, from 2007 to 2012, a public official who previously held the position of Senior Assistant to the Prime Minister of Armenia and later served as First Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, overstepped their authority by demanding that the company refrain from reconstruction and operation of the cafe. This effectively deprived the company of its legal rights to utilize the leased space for its intended purpose, resulting in the cessation of its operations, loss of the opportunity to continue its business activities, and incurred damages amounting to 1,938,798,136 AMD between 2007 and 2014.

In connection with the aforementioned incident, the Special Investigative Service has initiated a criminal case under the third part of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of Armenia for negligence resulting in serious consequences. The case has been forwarded to the Prosecutor General's office for jurisdictional handling.

Notice: The individual suspected or accused of the crime is considered innocent until proven guilty by a court of law in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia.