What the Prosecutor's Office Demanded from Bishop Bagrat

The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia demands the return of a specially designated area, including a barracks, which was transferred in 2017 for 400,000 AMD to Bishop Bagrat to the Republic of Armenia.

"In the framework of a criminal case initiated on June 9, 2023, it was revealed that a property with an area of 1198.09 sq.m., located on the 1st lane of 2nd street in Navur village of Tavush province, which was allotted for free (permanent) use to the Ministry of Defense, was sold for 8,717,184 AMD to A.S. under the contract signed on July 24, 2014. This property includes the barracks (621.81 sq.m.), residential building (121.77 sq.m.), stone building (66.16 sq.m.), cafeteria (225.7 sq.m.), storage (39.65 sq.m.), wooden house (48 sq.m.), bathroom (27 sq.m.), wooden house (48 sq.m.), and a specially designated land area of 6.0536 hectares.

Later, on July 17, 2017, A.S. sold the mentioned specially designated land and buildings, including the barracks, to V.G. for only 400,000 AMD. A study of the unified certificate issued by the State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre under the Government on July 4, 2014, and the state registration certificate of V.G.'s ownership revealed that the land subject to the cited contract is, at the time of alienation and still today, a specially designated land area.

In accordance with Article 60, clause 13 of the Land Code, it is prohibited to transfer to citizens and legal entities those land plots that are specially designated land and are considered state and community property. Moreover, according to part 2 of Article 209 of the Civil Code and part 2 of Article 87 of the Land Code, it is prohibited to alienate state and community property buildings or structures that are located on land plots whose ownership transfer is legally prohibited. Such buildings or structures can only be provided with the right to use or develop.

The substantive analysis of the aforementioned articles concludes that specially designated lands and the buildings and structures constructed on them cannot be subjects of transfer of ownership to another person; thus, they are not subject to alienation. In accordance with the provisions of Article 282 of the Civil Code, considering that V.G. could not acquire ownership rights over the specially designated land and its barrack structures by virtue of law, on March 16, 2026, the Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit against V.G. in the Anti-Corruption Court, seeking the return of the specially designated land area of 6.0536 hectares located at 1st dead-end street of 2nd street in Navur village of Tavush province, as well as a residential building with an area of 39.78 sq.m., a stone building of 30.06 sq.m., barracks of 696.01 sq.m., a cafeteria of 344.93 sq.m., a storage of 35.4 sq.m., a wooden house of 77.24 sq.m., and an auxiliary building of 26.84 sq.m. to the property of the Republic of Armenia.

Simultaneously, on November 14, 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office also filed a lawsuit in the Anti-Corruption Court against A.S. and third parties, including V.G., demanding the invalidation of the sales agreement and the application of consequences of invalidity. The mentioned lawsuit is subject to the statute of limitations, yet the Prosecutor General's Office has appealed the decision for reconsideration," the Prosecutor's Office stated in its message.