Suspicious Transactions to Keep the Exploded Gas Station Operational: "Zhoghovurd"

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reports that the explosion heard on the Yerevan-Sevan road on June 6 raises new questions about the circumstances under which the explosion occurred at one of the gas stations and what the responsible state agencies were doing at that time.

The gas station that exploded belongs to "Gaz Oil" LLC, which has reportedly been fined multiple times by state authorities. However, when reviewing the history of fines for the gas and petrol stations, it is noticeable that there was a very short time period during which it operated without issues.

ArmLur.am previously reported on how many times the gas station owned by the company has been fined over the last two years and what restrictions have been imposed on it. Sources from "Zhoghovurd" indicate that this year, the State Inspectorate for Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety discovered that the gas station had not undergone an AVA examination, implying that it should have immediately ceased operations but did not.

It is evident that such a decision could only be made under the directive of Inspectorate Head Garegin Khachatryan. However, the motivation for the inspectorate head's leniency is difficult to ascertain. In any case, when ArmLur.am contacted the Inspectorate, they explained that the "Head of the Inspectorate has conducted numerous inspections since 2023 and has decided to close gas and petrol stations. In total, the gas station owned by 'Gaz Oil' LLC, located at the site of the explosion, has been fined around 6 million drams and more. We have a suspension in place regarding the operation of the hazardous production facility. The last inspection order was in early January 2024; on February 19, in cooperation with Garegin Khachatryan, the Enforcement Agency sealed the petrol station owned by the LLC. However, the owner of the exploded station claims, 'I have all the documents for the inspections.' The project documentation does not suggest that, for example, testing had been conducted and the gas station recognized as safe for operation. We applied to the Inspectorate and gave a negative response for operation.'

The Inspectorate rules out the possibility of the head engaging in transactions, but the fact remains that the gas station has been operational under 'mysterious' circumstances, alongside multiple fines and restrictions.