New Criminal Proceedings Launched Against Vigen Sargsyan

The Prosecutor's Office has initiated new criminal proceedings against the former Minister of Defense of Armenia, Vigen Sargsyan, on October 24, 2023. This action concerns his involvement in the allocation process of apartments from a building on Hasratyan Street in Yerevan, which was under the ministry’s balance sheet.

Specifically, in January 2018, Sargsyan allegedly acted beyond his authority, deliberately violating established procedures. As a result, significant harm was caused to the rights and legal interests of individuals, as well as to the state’s legitimate interests, ultimately leading to serious consequences.

In particular, during a meeting held on January 18, 2018, to allocate 71 apartments for military personnel in need of improved living conditions, Sargsyan instructed members of the ministry's central housing commission to allocate the apartments to a preferred list of 26 military personnel who were not registered or were included in the lists later, as well as to three individuals not having military status within the ministry's system, disregarding the government-approved procedures.

This directive led the commission to make an illegal decision, resulting in these apartments being allocated to those who were either later added to the housing lists or not registered at all.

On October 25, 2023, it was decided to conduct the proceedings against the accused Vigen Sargsyan in absentia. On the same day, the charges were presented to Sargsyan's defense attorney. It is noteworthy that during the preliminary investigation, Sargsyan was placed in custody for two months, and a search warrant has been issued for him.

Notice: The accused in the crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code, based on a court decision that has entered into legal force.