Claim for Seizure of 10 Billion Drams and 23 Properties Against Mher Sedrakyan and Family

The hearing continues in the Anti-Corruption Court regarding the claim by the Prosecutor General's Office against former MP Mher Sedrakyan and his family members for the seizure of property of illegal origin. The prosecution is demanding the seizure of 23 real estate properties or their market value, one vehicle, rights to participate in eight legal entities, and a sum of 10 billion 40 million drams. This information was reported by 'Hetq'.

The claim has been filed against Mher Sedrakyan, his wife Shushan Afgaryan, their son, former MP David Sedrakyan, and his wife Elizaveta Margaryan. Mher Sedrakyan's son is reportedly expanding his capital. The prosecution has listed the market value of land plots located on Azatamartikneri Avenue in the Erebuni administrative district of Yerevan, two real estate properties on Sasuntsi David Street, three real estate properties on Davit-Beki Street, a property on Gajegortsneri 1st Street, six properties on Tigran Mets Avenue, a real estate property on Gajegortsneri Street, six premises in the building on Ekmalian Street 1/1, a property on M. Khorenatsi Street, a property on Bagratuniats Street, and a property located in the village of Zovuni in the Kotayk region.

The prosecutor's office is also demanding the seizure of one vehicle, rights to participate in eight legal entities, and a claim for 180 million drams in debt. The position of the prosecution is that the properties listed above, according to the provisions of the 'On the Seizure of Property of Illegal Origin' law, belong to Mher Sedrakyan. Three participations in legal entities, which were transferred free of charge to another person during the examined period, are considered property belonging to M. Sedrakyan according to the law, and a request for the seizure of their market value was presented.

Other properties were acquired in the name of Mher Sedrakyan's son, David Sedrakyan. One legal entity's share and the vehicle were acquired in the name of David Sedrakyan's wife, while the loan was granted by Mher Sedrakyan's wife. The prosecution asserts that the real beneficiary, that is, the individual on whose behalf the transaction was conducted, is Mher Sedrakyan.

Regarding the separate sum, the prosecution has demanded the seizure of over 8.6 billion drams from Mher Sedrakyan as the remainder of illegal income and a total of money that is unsubstantiated by legal income, transferred to well-meaning third parties.

We attempted to clarify the position of Mher Sedrakyan’s lawyer, Aleksan Khachatryan, regarding the claim presented. “Of course, we do not accept the claim. That’s all I can say. The demands are unfounded,” said A. Khachatryan.

It should be reminded that a criminal case had been initiated against Mher Sedrakyan, charging him with abuse of office under Article 308, Part 2 of the former Criminal Code. The Investigative Committee reported that a number of circumstances regarding Mher Sedrakyan's abuse of office had been established as a result of investigative and procedural actions. In particular, Mher Sedrakyan, serving as the head of the Erebuni community of Yerevan from 1999 to 2008, deliberately failed to fulfill his official duties and did not apply administrative measures for the unauthorized constructions of two buildings on a total area of 2782.55 square meters carried out by his son and brother in the area of the community-owned Vardavar Park, intending to subsequently include them in their property fund by abusing his official position.