Vigen Sargsyan Not Involved as Accused in Any Criminal Case, Says 'Factinfo'

According to responses from the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Investigative Committee of Armenia to written inquiries from 'Factinfo', no decision has been made to involve Vigen Sargsyan, the former Minister of Defense of Armenia, as an accused in a criminal case that has been under investigation for nearly three years.

It is worth recalling that the criminal case mentioning Vigen Sargsyan was initiated on April 12, 2019. An official announcement was released by the Investigative Committee stating that the case was opened under Article 308, Part 1, and Article 309, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, concerning crimes committed by certain officials of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces due to abuse of their official powers and misappropriation of official authorities related to the allocation of apartments in a multi-apartment building at 25/6 G. Hasratyan Street in Yerevan in violation of the procedures established by the decision No. 384-N of the Armenian government dated March 7, 2007, regarding housing provision for military personnel.

Vigen Sargsyan's name was specifically mentioned in connection with these abuses, indicating that they occurred during his tenure.

Following the initiation of the criminal case, it became a 'hot potato' between the Investigative Committee and the Special Investigation Service, as the entities were shifting responsibility onto each other, indicating that the Special Investigation Service had doubts about the grounds for initiating the case and was reluctant to assume the responsibility for a potentially unsuccessful investigation.

'Factinfo' sent written inquiries to both the prosecutor's office and the investigative committee seeking clarification on the status of the criminal case, its current phase, and whether a decision had been made to involve Vigen Sargsyan as an accused.

The Investigative Committee reported that the case is under their jurisdiction, and no decision has been made to involve Vigen Sargsyan as an accused.

The Office of the Prosecutor General also confirmed that Vigen Sargsyan is not involved as an accused in any criminal case under the procedural guidance of the prosecutors of the Armenian judiciary. Consequently, no preventive measures have been chosen against him, and no arrest warrant has been issued.

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