Kasakh Community Head, Ara Mkrtchyan, Father of Anna Mkrtchyan, Embezzled 41 Million Dram

The press service of the Police of Armenia reported yesterday that the Kasakh community in Kotayk Province has suffered damages exceeding 41 million dram. Specifically, the head of Kasakh community made prior arrangements with a private individual to purchase a 9600 square meter land plot in Kasakh for $15 per square meter, as reported by 1-in.am.

No intentional auctions were held, and legal documents certifying the non-occurrence of auctions were created. Consequently, the 9600 square meter land property, considered community property, was sold for just 2900 dram per square meter, totaling 28 million dram. In this way, they embezzled 31 million dram from the 59 million dram that had been entrusted to them in cash by the buyer.

Using the same mechanism, an 800 square meter land plot belonging to the Kasakh community was sold to the chief specialist of the community administration for approximately 2.5 million dram. The specialist then divided it into two parts, selling them for four million and eight million 730 thousand dram, resulting in a 10 million dram loss to the community.

A criminal case has been initiated in the Department for the Fight Against Corruption and Economic Crimes of the Criminal Police regarding these incidents, which has been forwarded to the investigative committee for examination.

The media outlet reports that the head of the Kasakh community, Ara Mkrtchyan, is the father of Anna Mkrtchyan, a Member of the National Assembly from the “I Have Honor” faction.

Former member of the Kasakh council, Arthur Mardanyan, stated in an interview with “First News” that this criminal case represents only a small portion of the abuses committed by Ara Mkrtchyan: “This is just the tip of the iceberg. I believe that everything that will be uncovered afterwards will be four to five times more than this. I think this case will be precedent-setting and will have a continuous nature, revealing other crimes committed by him later on.

In September, his powers as mayor will expire, and we will have the opportunity to have full access to the archives. We will find out what has actually happened in the budget, and with the documents, it will be possible to prove what I have said. According to my information, they have burned the archives, but I believe that the archives of the Ministry of Finance, territorial administration, and the provincial government have still been preserved, and we will reach those documents. Right now, I can say that those 41 million dram are just a small fraction of what he has embezzled.

No matter how much financial fines are imposed, he has the money to pay, but what matters to me is that the residents of Kasakh understand whom they have been dealing with for 30 years and what has generally happened in the community. The people of Kasakh need to have a rough understanding of the scale of the embezzlement,” said Mardanyan.

According to our interlocutor, the head of the community had previously been charged in another criminal case for unlawfully allocating 11 hectares of land from the territory of the Kasakh community to the Davitashen community, but that case was allegedly covered up, and now no one is talking about it. “In 2019, there was a criminal case initiated regarding this, and he was charged, but it was watered down. However, now we will be persistent and will not allow these cases to be taken down the same path. Expect more disgraceful cases to be revealed soon. There is already movement,” said the council member.

Mardanyan noted that Ara Mkrtchyan has been engaging in unchecked embezzlement for years, as he was under the power of the Republican Party, which provided him with protection: “Such large-scale embezzlement is not a one-man job. It required having political sponsors, but it is not the case that Ara Mkrtchyan currently lacks sponsors. He has active sponsors right now. For instance, Deputy Prosecutor General Hayk Aslanyan. And it seems that the season of Agvan Garnikich is over. His figures still operate within the system, and they are working while protecting the former ones,” said Mardanyan.

Arthur Mardanyan stated that he has also been questioned regarding the cases related to Mkrtchyan: “I have been questioned in more than ten criminal cases,” he concluded.

It is noteworthy that the head of the Kasakh community illegally dissolved the council two years ago, and the community has been without a council for two years. This was solely because the council members refused to validate his illegal actions. Local government elections in Kasakh are also expected to take place in the fall.