Police Chief of Artik Accused of Armed Robbery: Another Case of Patronage by NSS Director

Prior to the snap elections, Harutyun Adamyan, who was appointed as the head of the Artik Police Department, has been accused of armed robbery and attempted theft. This information was reported by 168.am.

“On July 20, 168.am had already reported that, according to circulating news in Gyumri, Nazeli Avetisyan, who is acting as the director-deputy of the Center for Management of Educational Process at Shiraz State University, is preparing to become the rector of the university, with help from her longtime friend Lisa Hakobyan, a lecturer at the Department of Pedagogy at the same university, whose daughter is married to the Director of the National Security Service (NSS) Armen Abazyan. Sources in Gyumri informed us that the same Lisa Hakobyan is lobbying for Nazeli Avetisyan to be appointed as rector through her relative Abazyan.

However, it turns out that this is not the only instance of Armen Abazyan acting as a middleman for appointing individuals to positions. The source also reported that, according to well-informed sources in Shirak province, Rustam Grigoryan, the director of the Shirak branch of the Water Users Association, 'Shirak JOA,' who held the position for quite a long time, was dismissed about two months ago, and in his place, the temporary acting director was appointed Khachatur Khachatryan, a former judge of the General Jurisdiction Court of Lori province who served 6.5 years in a penal institution for accepting a bribe of $20,000. Khachatryan was appointed to the position immediately after being released from prison. The wives of Khachatryan and Abazyan are sisters, and it is due to this family connection that the former judge was appointed as the director of 'Shirak JOA.' This is another example of Armen Abazyan’s involvement in placing his close ones in high positions, which has become known to 168.am.

Shortly before the snap elections, the head of the Artik Police Department was changed, and Harutyun Adamyan was appointed in his place. He had previously worked in various subdivisions of the Shirak regional police but had not held a position in recent years due to a significant scandal linked to him.

We have been informed that Harutyun Adamyan and another police officer have been accused of an attempted armed robbery and theft in Gyumri led by a well-known moneylender named Melada Sargsyan. During this attempted armed robbery, Melada was brutally beaten, her teeth were broken, and she suffered numerous contusions.

As reported in the court information system datalex.am, ‘Harutyun Adamyan has been charged with the fact that on February 7, 2016, around 22:30, he argued with Melada Andranik Sargsyan, who was temporarily living in the same apartment on Trdat Chartarpet street number 59 in Gyumri, during which he deliberately struck Melada with his hands and feet, causing minor damage to her health, including injuries to the upper and lower eyelids on the left, bruising of the first finger of her right wrist, and abrasions on the back of her torso.’

The armed robbery case reached the court, and as a result of the scandal, both police officers, including Harutyun Adamyan, were dismissed from their positions, and for a long time, Adamyan held no position. The case underwent two changes in the composition of the court, with judges being transferred to other courts. The case has been tried for the third time, but due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, it was dismissed. The injured party filed an appeal, but the Court of Appeals upheld the previous ruling. Presumably, the investigation into this case is still ongoing and may be reviewed by the Court of Cassation.

According to our sources, people well aware of this story in Shirak province were astonished when, after a long hiatus, Harutyun Adamyan received not just any ordinary case, but a high-ranking position as the head of the Artik Police Department. In Gyumri, it is said that his appointment is owing to Armen Abazyan: he is not a random person in Abazyan’s circle.

It turns out that Harutyun Adamyan is married to the sister of Armen Abazyan's relative—Nune Adamyan, whose maiden name is Barsakyan. However, just like her sister Lisa Hakobyan, she carries her husband's surname. Moreover, informed sources in Gyumri have reported to 168.am that in order to remove all obstacles to appointing high positions for his close ones, Armen Abazyan has mobilized the entire resources of the NSS Shirak regional subdivision. Consequently, Karen Sarukhanyan has a serious competitor in Shirak province, and now he is not the only one deciding where his relatives should hold office,” reports the source.