Illegal Land Transfer in Tsaghkadzor to be Returned to State, Prosecutor's Office

The Prosecutor General's Office has filed claims for the protection of state interests against the Kotayk Regional Administration and others, including Z. G., wife of former Hrazdan mayor A. D., regarding the annulment of auctions for 25 parcels of land totaling about 48.5 hectares that are considered state property outside the boundaries of Kotayk Province during the years 2019-2020. The information was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia.

On April 7, 2022, the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Kotayk Province upheld the claim of the Prosecutor General's Office against the Kotayk Regional Administration and Z. G. As a result, the auction of the 'Lot 26' parcel from May 26, 2007, was declared invalid, and Z. G. was ordered to return the parcel of land measuring 0.55 hectares located in Tsaghkadzor to the Republic of Armenia.

The ruling was appealed to higher courts. As a result, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the positions of the Prosecutor's Office and lower courts with its ruling on August 3, 2023, stating that the contested auction had been conducted in violation of the 'Law on Public Auctions' and upheld the court's decision to grant the Prosecutor's Office's claim.

Thus, the Supreme Court's final decision has confirmed the legal force of the court ruling for the return of the 0.55-hectare land parcel in Tsaghkadzor to the Republic of Armenia. In 2023, the Anti-Corruption Court has also upheld three additional claims of the Prosecutor's Office regarding the invalidation of the aforementioned auctions, which, if finalized, will result in the return of another 8.4 hectares of land to the Republic of Armenia. Claims regarding the annulment of the remaining auctions are still pending in the Anti-Corruption Court.