I Had a Dispute with Vigen Sargsyan, But It Was After Receiving the Apartment: 'Hraparak'

"Hraparak" newspaper reports that Vigen Sargsyan, the former Minister of Defense who is currently wanted, responded to accusations against him, asserting that he did not violate any laws or regulations and served the country honestly. He then requested the publication of the list of those who received apartments, as well as each individual's combat path and merits.

Recall that the Prosecutor's Office has charged Vigen Sargsyan and five members of the central housing commission of the Ministry of Defense with committing abuses while distributing apartments in the building at Hasratyan 25/6, which belongs to the Ministry of Defense. Specifically, there are allegations that the former Minister directed the allocation of apartments to 26 servicemen who were not on the registration list or were added to it later, while the genuine needy remained on the waiting list.

We contacted the Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Defense with the same request to publish the names of these 26 individuals. After all, they received apartments through taxpayer money, and the taxpayers have the right to know how their funds were spent. However, the Ministry of Defense spokesperson declined to provide information, arguing that we should address the investigating body, while the Prosecutor's Office requested a written inquiry, initially indicating uncertainty that it would be fulfilled.

According to our information, one of those 26 individuals was also the former spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense, and currently an expert at the National Assembly, Artur Hovhannisyan. It is reported that when Vigen Sargsyan was newly appointed as Minister of Defense, he wanted to dismiss the Ministry's spokesperson, Artur Hovhannisyan. However, Hovhannisyan requested him to wait until he at least received his apartment before being dismissed. Sargsyan complied with his request, and Hovhannisyan received his apartment in a military building, known by residents in the area as such. Yet later on, the minister left Hovhannisyan in the same position, whether he had regretted it, forgotten, or more important matters had come up.

"These are dirty rumors that do not correspond to reality for a simple reason. There was a serious dispute between Vigen Sargsyan and me, but it cannot be related to my receiving an apartment for a simple reason: the dispute occurred in the first ten days of February, and I received my apartment at the end of January, while the meeting of the housing commission regarding that matter took place in October-November 2017, or November-December at the latest. I haven’t seen the minutes of the meetings, so I cannot say more precisely. Therefore, that couldn’t have been the case. Of course, there might have been such a disposition on Vigen Sargsyan’s part without my knowledge. Perhaps he wanted to dismiss me and thought that by giving me an apartment, he could ease the situation. I don’t know; 'Hraparak's' sources might be very strong and have insider information, but I can indicate the specific day and time when we had our dispute. It was at the beginning of February," he stated.

“What was the nature of the dispute? Can you reveal it?”

“During that dispute, there was a conversation regarding the quality of construction; thus, it is clear that this is a beautifully crafted manipulation. I repeat, unless of course your informants were aware of things that I do not know or what Vigen Sargsyan's mood was. After that, if people want to understand, they will understand.

- Were you on the housing waiting list and for how long?

“At the time of receiving the apartment, I was the third or fourth on the registered list among all armed forces personnel, both active and reserve, who needed a four-room apartment. Among the military, there were four of us registered for a four-room apartment, so I could not take anyone's place. In the housing allocation system of the armed forces, it is not only about the timing of registration. I have been registered since 2007 and was in line for 11 years at the time of receiving. Priorities and room sizes are determined based on family composition. If there are two individuals of the same type of need, priority is also given to those who participated in combat operations, etc. In my case, that couldn't have happened, as we were four of us registered for four apartments, both active and in reserve, and all four of us received our apartments, with no one hindering anyone else. So, you can close this topic."

- Nevertheless, what disagreements existed with Vigen Sargsyan? Did he not want to remove you?

“These stories about disagreements between Vigen Sargsyan and me, implying that he allegedly wanted to remove me, are connected to the media terror initiated against me and continuing to this day. I will tell that story one day when the time comes.”