“Zhoghovurd” reports on former Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian’s decision to sue Paylak Hayrapetian, a former businessman, who has accused him of involvement in a large-scale fraud that has led to the prosecution of another entrepreneur, Ashot Sukiasian. A high-ranking clergyman of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, has faced similar allegations. Kchoyan tells the paper that he will not sue Hayrapetian.
“Zhoghovurd” notes that Sarkisian, who is now Armenia’s ambassador to the United States, ignored the allegations when he served as prime minister. “Of course, it’s possible that Tigran Sarkisian opened his eyes and realized that wresting others’ assets is a bad thing thanks to his lie in the United States,” it comments with sarcasm.
“Hraparak” reports that despite Prosecutor-General Gevorg Kostanian’s promise to personally look into a May 2 assault involving a son of Suren Khachatrian, a notorious Armenian regional governor, the Investigative Committee has still not sent him a copy of the high-profile criminal case. “The Office of the Prosecutor-General wrote to the committee on Friday, demanding documents in the case,” writes the paper. “The Investigative Committee has replied in writing that it is not going to share the documents because it is still taking investigative actions. They will share them as soon as they finish those actions.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian on Tuesday pointedly declined to attend a parliament session that discussed the execution of Armenia’s 2014 state budget by both the central government and the Yerevan municipality. A senior pro-government lawmaker in charge of that debate, Gagik Minasian, claimed that Markarian is not in Armenia at the moment. But as the paper points out, the municipality’s press service reported a number of official meetings which Markarian held in Yerevan on Tuesday. Among his guests was a group of visiting schoolchildren from Stepanakert, it says.
(Hovannes Movsisian)