Who are the detainees in the 'Surmalu' case? Are there any suspects from the inspection body? - 'Hraparak'

Yesterday, law enforcement finally announced that there are defendants in the case of the explosion at 'Surmalu' and that four individuals have been detained, all of whom are employees of the shopping center. Although the prosecution keeps the names of the detainees confidential, 'Hraparak' reports that one of those arrested is the deputy director of the shopping center, and three others are individuals operating the warehouse. They are suspected of violating fire safety rules, which resulted in the death of one or more persons or other severe consequences due to negligence.

The media outlet specifically states: 'Earlier, the prosecutor’s office reported that in the case of the fire that broke out at the 'Surmalu' shopping center in April last year and the explosion on August 14, it was found that certain operators in the 'Surmalu' center were storing and selling explosive products, which is prohibited by fire safety regulations. In other words, a clandestine workshop has been operating here. A motion has been filed for the closure of 'Surmalu'. The Yerevan city prosecutor has suggested that inspections be conducted promptly in large shopping centers in Yerevan, especially in those centers reconstructed from buildings previously designated for other purposes, and in trade halls and places with large crowds across the Republic concerning operators dealing with the sale of explosive products, as well as on the issue of suspending the activity of the 'Yerevan Canned Goods Factory' LLC until the rectification of the recorded violations of fire safety regulations at that facility.'

Thus, the hypothesis of prohibited production seems to be officially confirmed, namely that trotyl has been brought in bags to the 'Surmalu' warehouses and filled on-site, producing 'bombs' and fireworks. It’s worth noting that this theory was mentioned on Vardan Manukyan's Facebook page, the head of the trade department at the 'Surmalu' shopping center.

As it stands, there are no potential defendants among the employees of the RA Ministry of Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety Inspection. As is known, this body conducted inspections last year and uncovered numerous violations at 'Surmalu'. It would have been logical to close 'Surmalu' until these violations were rectified. However, the shopping center has neither been closed nor have follow-up inspections been conducted later. In other words, after the deadline for rectifying the recorded violations, no actions related to new inspections and preventive measures have taken place.

'Meanwhile, during inspections at the 'Surmalu' shopping center, numerous violations of fire safety regulations were recorded, which have already been the cause of fire outbreak,' said the prosecutor’s office statement. Essentially, investigators have tried to 'dig deeper' into determining the accountability of the inspectors; however, holding state officials accountable apparently does not fall within the prosecutor’s programs.

Moreover, the prosecutor's office is excellent at seizing its superiors’ moods and even unvoiced orders, while during the last government session, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke gently about the inspection body and noted that they fulfilled their duty by detecting violations. Had he uttered even half a word about why follow-ups weren't conducted to ensure that these shortcomings were rectified, and that their inaction is as culpable as the actions of the officials who caused the explosion, then, rest assured, representatives from Gegham Shahbazyan’s agency would definitely be among today’s defendants, and perhaps even he himself,' stated the newspaper.