Newly Renovated Underpass Leaks Water, Dampness Seen on Walls and Ceiling

Just half a month ago, on February 16, representatives of the Yerevan city government ceremoniously reopened the underground pedestrian underpass in front of the "Closed Market," cutting the red ribbon. Just a few days after the opening, on February 23, citizens shared photos on social media, alerting that issues had already arisen in the newly renovated underpass, with dampness visible on the ceiling and walls. This was reported by Civilnet.

The Yerevan municipality had announced that approximately 50 million drams had been allocated from the community budget for the renovation of the pedestrian underpass. Civilnet's fact-checking team visited the underpass on March 6, finding that the issues had not yet been addressed. Signs of salt accumulation and dampness were present on the walls adjacent to the stairs of the four entry points, as well as on the walls inside. Moreover, water was dripping from the ceiling near one of the entrances.

The municipality informed us that the renovation of the underpass was carried out by “Builder Construction” LLC and “BIDEK” LLC in collaboration, while “Hazara-shen” LLC conducted the supervisory controls over the work.

Although the underpass has been ceremoniously opened, in response to our inquiry, the Yerevan municipality stated that a final act of completion for the works has not been submitted because works are ongoing with “Veolia Water” LLC to identify and remedy the damp areas in the underpass. "At the same time, we inform you that in order to avoid similar issues, plans are in place for the milling of the asphalt-concrete surface in the upper part of the underpass and for waterproofing work," the municipality indicated.

The company that performed the supervisory control is satisfied with the work. The renovation work was undertaken by “Hazara-shen” LLC, which has been in this sector since the early 2000s. It signs dozens of contracts annually with both Yerevan municipalities and other state and municipal bodies.

Civilnet reached out to the company’s director, Robert Igityan, who stated that when the renovation was newly completed, they were satisfied with the quality and inspected it. "Currently, there are works that need to be done. The company must correct the issues that have arisen, as it is still within the warranty period," Igityan said.

Who carried out the renovation? The agreement between the collaborating companies “Builder Construction” and “BIDEK” and the municipality was signed through an urgent open tender procedure. The contract value was 48.5 million drams.

“Builder Construction” and “BIDEK” companies are connected to former Republican MP Mher Sedrakyan; 75 percent of BIDEK LLC’s shares belong to Sedrakyan's son, David Sedrakyan, a former MP of the National Assembly’s “Armenia” faction.

“BIDEK” LLC is not new to public procurements. Established in 2009, the company has won procurement tenders over the years, signing dozens of contracts. According to the state registry, a lien has been placed on both David Sedrakyan’s share and property belonging to “BIDEK” LLC. It is noteworthy that the Sedrakyans are undergoing a case involving the confiscation of property of illegal origin. The prosecutor's office demands the confiscation of property worth 11 billion drams from them.

“Builder Construction” LLC was established in 2021. Officially, the Sedrakyans do not appear among the shareholders of this company. However, the owner of 40 percent of the shares, Armen Varuzhan Suqiasyan, is a shareholder in other companies linked to the Sedrakyans. From 2015 to 2019, he served as the director of the “Special Services for the Population” municipal non-commercial organization of the Yerevan municipality. After its registration, “Builder Construction” LLC has, in addition to the renovation of the underpass in front of the Closed Market, signed another contract with the Yerevan municipality, again in conjunction with “BIDEK,” for the renovation of the building of Polyclinic No. 5 in Yerevan. The value of this contract is 202.7 million drams.

Thus, the newly renovated underpass will soon return to being a construction site.