Narek Nalbandyan to be Questioned by NSS over Purchase of Former PM Abrahamyan's House, Known for Buying 'Golden Palace'

The National Security Service of Armenia has initiated a criminal case concerning the sale of a residence belonging to former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan. This was reported by the newspaper 'Zhoghovurd'. The publication has learned that the case was opened on grounds of abuse of official position.

According to the information received, the investigative body has decided to scrutinize the process of properly acquiring the residence, indicating that the NSS will summon Narek Nalbandyan, who purchased the house and gained public attention for acquiring the 'Golden Palace' luxury hotel. It is known that the transaction occurred on March 1 of this year. Nalbandyan’s family paid 48 million dram for the house, while the remaining 2.452 billion dram will be settled by Nalbandyan by August.

It is worth noting that former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan sold his luxurious residence located in the Monument area, which had been under arrest since 2018 as part of a criminal case being investigated by the Special Investigation Service. The sale of the former prime minister's house has become a significant point of contention regarding how and by whom the house, which was under arrest, was sold.

To verify the legality of the house sale process, the Chief Prosecutor Artur Davtyan referred the matter to the NSS for investigation, which found sufficient grounds to suggest that the process of purchasing the residence was conducted through some questionable means, leading to the initiation of a criminal case.