Director of ‘Sourmala’ Interrogated: Prosecutor’s Office on Case Progress

The owner of the 'Sourmala' shopping center and director of the 'Yerevan Canned Goods Factory' has been interrogated in connection with the criminal proceedings regarding the explosion at the shopping center. This information was confirmed to Sputnik Armenia by the Office of the Prosecutor General, in response to a written inquiry about the progress of the case.

The Prosecutor's Office also noted that numerous citizens have already been recognized as victims in the preliminary investigation, and they have reported approximate values of the damages caused by the explosion.

To assess the real scope of the damages, a decision has been made by the head of the investigative group conducting the preliminary investigation to appoint comprehensive expert examinations in the fields of forensic explosive, fire safety, engineering, construction, commodity, computer technology, and audiovisual record analysis. These evaluations include requests for experts to calculate the extent of property damages.

According to clarifications received from the Prosecutor's Office, the calculations not only concern the damages suffered by businesses operating within the 'Sourmala' shopping center and various service providers but also those caused to clients and random passersby.

“The issue of compensating for the property damages can be addressed after receiving the conclusions from the forensic examination, at which point it will be possible to discuss the matter of recognizing the victims as civil claimants,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.

It should be recalled that on August 14, an explosion occurred at the 'Sourmala' shopping center, resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals, one person is considered missing, and around 70 others were hospitalized with varying degrees of injuries.