Investigation Update: The Findings on Last Year's Fire at ‘Surmalu’ Commercial Center Have Just Been Received by the Investigative Committee

«Joghavortr» newspaper reports that the Investigative Committee of Armenia has only recently received the expert conclusion regarding the fire that broke out at the ‘Surmalu’ commercial center on April 6, 2021. According to the professional assessment, it has been confirmed that the management of the shopping center did not adhere to safety regulations.

What transpired during the investigation? According to employees of the shopping center, many were summoned for questioning, and they did not speak out against the management for various reasons, primarily to avoid jeopardizing their jobs.

Thus, the employees were fearful of going against Razmik Zakaryan, the former MP and head of the ‘Surmalu’ commercial center. According to the information we have received, only a few business operators who were affected by last year’s fire have pursued their rights. They informed the investigator that they do not hold anything against anyone but are legitimate claimants for the damages they sustained and will continue to be so until the end. Most of them have not received any form of compensation to date.

Moreover, reports indicate that several business operators left the ‘Surmalu’ commercial center last year, citing a lack of safety as their reason. Even after that, the Zakaryans did not take any measures to improve safety conditions, having powered dozens of shops from a single electrical line, overloading the circuits without any enhancements to services or even providing civilized restrooms for the entrepreneurs working in the shops.

Nevertheless, one month prior to the explosion on August 14 and the subsequent fire, the Investigative Committee has just been able to obtain a conclusion regarding the outbreak of last year’s fire. The Expertise State Non-Commercial Organization showed perplexing sluggishness and moved in the direction of serving the interests of the Zakaryans, only providing a conclusion recently, stating that the management of the commercial center did not comply with safety regulations.

Furthermore, the list of those potentially liable has now become known. According to reports received by the ‘Joghavortr’ newspaper, in the investigation led by investigator Tigran Muradyan from the Investigative Committee of Armenia, the director of the shopping center and a security employee will soon face charges, meaning that instead of the owners, the Zakaryans, these individuals will serve as scapegoats in this story.

To clarify the information we received, ‘Joghavortr’ contacted the Investigative Committee of Armenia. In response, they stated: “A criminal case has been initiated in the department of serious crimes investigation of the Yerevan Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee regarding the fire incident that broke out at the ‘Surmalu’ commercial center last year. During the pre-investigation, it was revealed that several fire safety norms were not adhered to in the aforementioned shopping center. The pre-investigation is ongoing.”

What do we have? It has been 1 year and 3.5 months, yet the Investigative Committee of Armenia, which has changed its leadership, is still investigating the fire case. An unpunished crime has led to new, more devastating offenses.

For more details, see today’s issue of the newspaper.