Director of Surmalu Arrested: Prosecutor's Office

The director of the "Yerevan Preserves Factory" LLC, I.M., has been subjected to public criminal prosecution by the supervising prosecutor. This was reported by the public relations department of the prosecutor's office.

I.M., while serving as the director of the "Yerevan Preserves Factory" LLC, intentionally forged a document exonerating him from obligations and responsibilities, and used it. Specifically, from October 19, 2019, to October 19, 2021, I.M. created a fake order stating that as of February 1, 2019, his obligations for sanitary-hygienic, fire safety, and security within the premises of the "Yerevan Preserves Factory" LLC were transferred to V.M., the deputy director in charge of trade organization.

With this forged document, I.M. exempted himself from the obligations to comply with sanitary-hygienic, fire safety, and security regulations at the Surmalu shopping center, as well as from the responsibilities for consequences arising from violations of these rules.

Subsequently, I.M. presented the fake order to the investigator conducting the criminal proceedings.

Additionally, since 2012, as the director of the "Yerevan Preserves Factory" LLC, I.M. had the obligation to comply with fire safety requirements set by law, which he violated. He failed to ensure compliance with several provisions of the Fire Safety Law and fire safety regulations. I.M. also did not fulfill the legal requirements and normative documents concerning fire safety and fire protection of the facility, including fire water supply, reliable access routes for buildings and structures, and communication means. He did not manage the allocation of warehouses and buildings, and did not develop or implement measures to ensure fire safety, nor kept the fire-fighting systems and means, including primary fire-extinguishing means, in working order. As a result of his negligence, he caused significant damage amounting to 566 million 329 thousand 823.5 drams.

On February 13, 2023, the prosecutor overseeing the legality of the criminal proceedings decided to initiate public criminal proceedings against I.M. under Article 457, Part 1, and Article 357, Part 2, of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, concerning the forgery of legally significant documents or the provision of obligations or responsibilities, as well as the violation of legislative requirements related to fire safety which resulted in severe consequences. I.M. was arrested on February 22, 2023.