Proposal Submitted to Terminate Activities of Yerevan Canning Factory LLC: Prosecutor's Office

The investigation initiated following the explosion at the Surmalu shopping center is ongoing. As part of the criminal case, Yerevan city prosecutor Sevak Hovhannisyan has sent requests to the head of the Armenian Ministry of Urban Development's Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Body to clarify and eliminate any circumstances that contributed to the crime.

During the pre-trial investigation regarding the fire that occurred on April 6, 2021, and the explosion on August 14, 2022, it was revealed that the head of the Armenian Ministry of Urban Development's Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Body had instructed in 2021 to carry out an inspection at Yerevan Canning Factory LLC.

The inspection revealed 16 violations of technical and fire safety regulatory requirements at the site, along with deadlines for rectifying these violations. It was also established that certain businesses within the Surmalu shopping center were storing and selling pyrotechnic products, which is prohibited under the fire safety rules established by the Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations in order No. 595, dated June 18, 2015.

Reviewing the documents related to the criminal proceedings showed that based on an instruction dated February 10, 2021, the head of the inspection body had ordered an inspection of Yerevan Canning Factory LLC (located at 15 Arshakunyats Avenue, Yerevan) to ensure compliance with legal requirements concerning technical and fire safety, using the inspection checklist set forth in Appendix No. 10 of the Armenian Government Decision No. 1025-N dated August 8, 2019.

Actual inspections identified a total of 16 violations of technical and fire safety requirements. During the investigation, it was found that no measures were undertaken to address the recorded violations following the deadline for their rectification, according to the relevant decisions of the investigator.

Meanwhile, numerous violations of fire safety rules were recorded during the inspections conducted at the Surmalu shopping center, which had already been a cause of fire incidents.

In light of the above and in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, the Yerevan prosecutor has proposed urgent discussions regarding inspections at major shopping centers operating in Yerevan, particularly those reconstructed from buildings previously designated for other purposes. The proposal also includes ensuring compliance with the aforementioned ministerial order by businesses selling pyrotechnic products in public venues and considering the termination of Yerevan Canning Factory LLC's operations until the rectification of identified fire safety violations.