Case Against Khachaturov Built on Shepherd's Testimony: "Hraparak"

The newspaper "Hraparak" reports: "Criminal prosecutions against military personnel who have walked the victorious path are gaining new momentum. Recently, General Grigori Khachaturov, the former commander of the 3rd Army Corps, was arrested. Twenty hours after his arrest, his lawyer reported that they were not allowed to deliver either medicine or food to Khachaturov.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's 'affection' for the Khachaturov family was born after the revolution. Initially, a criminal case was launched against General Yuri Khachaturov, leading to his dismissal from the position of Secretary General of the CSTO. However, the case regarding March 1 collapsed in court, demonstrating its groundlessness. Subsequently, Yuri Khachaturov's younger son, Igor, was detained on absurd charges but was later released. In 2022, he was charged with allegedly using violence against a government representative during the Resistance movement. Now it's his brother Grigori's turn, a skilled and devoted military officer who has stood out for his rebellious stance, demanding Pashinyan's resignation.

In March 2021, he stated: 'With each passing day and hour that Nikol Pashinyan occupies the position of Prime Minister of the RA, the security of the RA is being undermined, casting doubt on the future of our homeland.' Months later, the Ministry of Defense refused to extend the contract with the respected military officer, and now ridiculous charges are being brought against him.

What is Grigori Khachaturov accused of? According to the prosecution, the criminal charges arose from 'the legalization of real estate obtained through criminal means by using his official position (money laundering).' Khachaturov’s case is connected to one of the criminal proceedings against Seyran Ohanyan. According to the prosecutor general's motion submitted to the parliament, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan 'has abused his official position against the interests of service,' concerning the sale of territories of former military units in the village of Armash in the Ararat region.

Although, according to the prosecutor, these areas were deemed 'unusable' as military units, it is claimed that one of them was purchased by a person associated with Grigori Khachaturov. The prosecution has decided, based on evidence understandable only to them, that the real owner of the property is Grigori Khachaturov. This assumption is based on the testimony of a shepherd who works in the village in question. The shepherd stated that the real owner of the former military area is Khachaturov.

The prosecution has determined that Khachaturov initially purchased this unusable land at a price lower than the cadastral value, registered it in a friend's name, then pledged it twice at the bank to obtain credit, and this has been evaluated as money laundering.

Specifically, according to the motion, a purchase agreement was signed between the person associated with Khachaturov, Edgar Arshakyan, whereby land with a cadastral value of 2 million 664 thousand drams located at 24/1 Yerevan Highway in the Armash community and constructions with a cadastral value of 8 million 895 thousand 600 drams were 'actually sold' to Grigori Khachaturov for 4 million drams, but registered in Edgar Arshakyan's name. Thus, the real ownership of the property was distorted. Even from the prosecutor's motion, it is evident that the owner of the property is Edgar Arshakyan, who is a student friend of Grigori Khachaturov and stated in his testimony that he allowed Khachaturov to pledge the land, for which he received a loan of 8 thousand dollars once, and the other time it was pledged as collateral for a loan to purchase an apartment. Notably, at this time, that property is no longer a collateral as the obligations have been met.

The only 'evidence' of the 'crime' is the testimony of witness Varuzhan Muradyan, who engaged in livestock farming in the former military area and reported in the prosecutor's office that years ago, having heard that Grigori Khachaturov purchased the said area, he turned to his acquaintance in Vedi, the now-deceased Tigran Darabyan, to converse with Khachaturov to allow him to live in that area and continue livestock farming. According to the witness, the deceased introduced him to Khachaturov's driver, whose name was also Grigor, who informed the witness that Khachaturov had given his consent."

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