2022 January 13

Daily news wrap-up

$14 million bribery story w/cute offshore islands __ Tax waivers for businesses __ Gas price vs calorie __ Fiber optic in provinces __ Aliyev angry over inability to control Karabakh entry __ Margarita's wrath vs Rector __ Russia vs Turkey __ Geopolitics & polls __ Pretrial arrest | Jan/13/2022
by ar_david_hh

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Your 12-minute Thursday recap in 3143 words.

ex-Nature Minister's $14 million bribery investigation reaches court | Offshore firms | Former MP | Mining permits

Anti-Corruption Committee: ex-Minister Aram Harutyunyan took $14M in bribes and laundered it. The scheme involved:

- Ex-HHK MP Aleksan Petrosyan [aka MAPi Alik]

- Harutyunyan's subordinate

- Ex-director of Sevan Psychiatric Hospital

- Two of Harutyunyan's friends

Harutyunyan was appointed as Minister in June 2007 and had decision-making power in the mining field. He took a $14M bribe from businesswoman Silva Hambardzumyan to guarantee that she would receive a dozen mineral study permits. [this is the same businesswoman who is a key witness against Rober Kocharyan's similar bribery trial]

In January-November of 2008, the miner conducted the studies then transferred a $6M bribe via Harutyunyan's subordinate.

Harutyunyan received the other $8M via offshore accounts in UAE. They laundered it with the help of a volunteer friend Araks Dilanyan who used her account. She split the funds into three pieces and sent them to accounts owned by Harutyunyan's friends and relatives.

The friends and relatives then traveled to UAE where they partially cashed out the funds.

In 2010, the friends wired the remaining $3M to Harutyunyan's UAE account. He then traveled to UAE to cash out the funds and make other electronic transfers.

During the laundering, they used an offshore firm Tarasco (?) Investment Ltd, registered in the British Virgin Islands with a bank account in Zurich. Harutyunyan's subordinate used the same offshore firm to launder another $2M.

The offshore firm and ex-HHK MP's company "MAP" signed an interest-free loan agreement and transferred the funds to ex-MP's business accounts in Armenia. During the next several years, the ex-MP transferred the funds to Harutyunyan with small installments.

(this was not a tutorial)

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Additionally, in 2011 Harutyunyan conspired with others to ensure that "Jradzor" small hydro received 24-hour access to water, while violating another firm's rights and causing significant damage.

In October 2018, Harutyunyan's friend -- the Sevan Psychiatric Hospital director, also a suspect -- bypassed Armenia's border checkpoint and illegally crossed the border. In November 2018 he used the Kazbek checkpoint to enter Georgia from Russia. He then fled to Turkey, then the United States.

[Tons of criminal charges are pressed.] The suspects' $30M assets have been frozen. The case has reached the court. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072885.html https://hetq.am/hy/article/109879

300 public officials are being investigated under the new asset forfeiture law

11 of the investigations are complete. 3 lawsuits are filed.

Prosecutor's Asset Forfeiture division coordinator Galyan: The law on confiscation of property with illegal origin defines the grounds on which the property could be confiscated. One of them is if the person was involved in a criminal case.

The asset forfeiture department grew to have 8 specialized prosecutors and 6 economists. I hope the number will increase because each investigator is currently assigned to 30 cases.

The media rumors that judges often refuse to follow the asset forfeiture law are false. The courts have authorized over 80 petitions to access banking and other secrets. Dozens of pre-litigation and plea agreement trials were held. It's advancing at a good pace.

The first asset forfeiture trial was held recently, regarding the former ranking NSS official Serob Harutyunyan. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072823.html

pre-trial arrest statistics

HD MP Vardevanyan recently requested prosecutors to share statistics about the frequency of courts siding with prosecutors to detain the suspect before the trial. That number is above 80% in Armenia, he learned. The MP criticized the number, calling it too high.

For comparison, according to a 2016 study, the official number appears to be 92% in Poland, 83% in Romania, 95% in Lithuania, 90% in Hungary.

Independent researchers' study puts that number at 44% in Ireland, 62% Greece, 71% Italy, 72% England, 86% Spain, and 84% Netherlands.

International legal expert Ara Ghazaryan: the number of pre-trial detentions is decreasing in Armenia. It is also visible from my own practice. But don't focus on that number. We need an individual approach to investigate each unnecessary pretrial detention. //

Prosecutor's office employee: there has been a massive shift compared to 10-15 years ago. The downward trend over the last 1-2 years is clear.

In 2018 we developed a bill to abandon the predictive approach for light-medium crimes (punishment under 5 years). Prosecutors should present evidence that the arrest is necessary. Other amendments have also been proposed and are still being discussed. //

IN other news, not long ago, the Parliament approved a law to replace arrest with probation or house arrest as much as possible. The US is helping with GPS bracelets, monitoring tech, and agent retraining.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072855.html

http://www.justice.gouv.fr/art_pix/Trim_2107.pdf https://www.fairtrials.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/Pre-Trial%20Detention%20Rates%20and%20the%20Rule%20of%20Law.pdf https://www.fairtrials.org/news/france-must-act-its-pre-trial-detention-problem https://www.fairtrials.org/publication/measure-last-resort

government will increase funding for infrastructure subvention programs in border communities

Infrastructure Minister Sanosyan: In the past, border settlements and mountainous settlements were mentioned together. We will separate them and increase the size of government aid. The change will affect all border settlements.

... provincial preschool construction funding will increase

The feds will subsidize at least 70% of construction projects regardless of how far the community is from Yerevan. 80% subsidy if it's in a border community.

The community should take care of the preschool facility once it becomes operational. We've created the necessary conditions with the property tax reforms, etc.

... fiber-optic internet in provinces

Today, our communities lack high-speed internet. This year the subvention programs will include a new direction. We will co-finance the installation of fiber-optic networks.

Pashinyan: here it's important to have 3-way cooperation between the federal government, local government, and private internet firms.

Deputy premier Mher: we need to take into account the cable infrastructure while building roads.

... new roads that lead to pasture lands

Pashinyan: AFAIK we have 1 million hectares of pasture, 80% of which goes unused. Our studies have revealed that the main reason is the lack of roads. We will subsidize the formation of a road network. It will create the conditions for investments.

... communities will build and renovate bomb/disaster shelters

The federal government will increase its share in the co-financing of the construction of shelters.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072846.html https://youtu.be/9uV8ukn0lJg

Gasprom and Armenia will clarify the Gas Price vs Gas Quality

Higher calorie means the gas can provide more heat. There have long been complaints that the gas isn't heating as well as it used to during certain periods, that "Armenia is being swindled by Gasprom" with calorie machinations, etc.

You may recall the ongoing efforts to have a stable rate for gas entering Armenia. There will be similar discussions relating to the calorie.

Report: according to the 2014-2021 agreement signed between Gasprom-Armenia and Gasprom-Export, the price of gas delivered to Armenia should be $165 for 7900 kcal/m3, or $177 for 8500 kcal/m3, starting April 1.

If the calorie reduces or increases, the price should change proportionally. //

Gasprom-Armenia will contact the public regulator to confirm the pricing model.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072884.html

exports under $2,000 could soon be exempt from customs duties

Economy Minister Kerobyan: we drafted a bill to simplify exports for small and medium businesses. It will exempt the exporter from state duty in all cases if the customs value of the product does not exceed ֏1 million.

The impact on the budget will be only ֏100M, but the economic effect will be much larger.

When we abolished the "VI 1" certificate fee [for exporting up to six boxes] of wines to the EU, it led to a 50% export growth in 2021. These reforms will greatly benefit small and medium businesses. //

Pashinyan: it's great that we're helping the small-medium business by removing fees, but shouldn't we also focus on large ones and perhaps offer similar tax breaks to lower their burden? Don't we want to have an industry, factories with thousands of employees, with billions of dollars in revenue? [gives some instructions to Ministers]

https://factor.am/462813.html https://factor.am/462822.html

Yerevan municipal inspectors raided illegal fish sellers

Catching sig in Lake Sevan is illegal from December 25 to January 15 because the ladies are giving birth. City inspectors found 300kg of illegal fish yesterday. "This is a felony crime," reminded the inspectors.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072856.html

32nd anniversary of 1990 Armenian pogroms in Baku

Armenian population of Baku:

1886: 86,000 (28%)

1979: 215,000 (14%)

1990: 50,000

1999: 378

2009: 104

Thousands were forced to flee their homes during the weeklong attacks organized by the Azerbaijani Popular Front, sponsored/permitted by the authorities.

The anti-Armenian hysteria started in late 1988. After the 13 January 1990 rally, the crowd split into groups and attacked ethnic Armenians in their homes. Many were killed.

On January 19 Gorbachov declared a state of emergency in Baku. Troops were sent. Dozens of rioters were killed, many were arrested.

Azeri authorities took steps to conceal the true number of Armenian deaths, but it's around 500-600 according to various sources. The repressions and violence continued, leading to a mass migration of Armenians from Azerbaijan.

European Parliament condemned the pogroms in 1988, 1990, and 1991.

Bill Frelick, the director of U.S. Committee for Refugees, spoke about the events and consequences in 2002.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072867.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenians_in_Baku

Kazakh news

The Kazakh government has frozen public officials' salaries for 5 years in a populist move to appease the protesters. President Tokayev also asked oligarchs to share their wealth with the citizens via annual payments, the size of which will be determined soon.

CSTO "president" Pashinyan and Tokayev discussed the withdrawal of CSTO peacekeepers. The countries signed a decree about the withdrawal. The process has begun.

Russian MFA Shoygu reported to Putin about the objects that were gaurded, and noted Armenia's punctuality when it came to handling the documents and formal procedures.

Obviously, there was a diplomatic jab between Russia and Turkey. Turkey accused Russia of trying to restore its rule over Kazakhstan for the first time since USSR, while Russia told Turkey to choose the words carefully and not to catch fish in muddy water.

https://youtu.be/9A1VvkwUwtA https://youtu.be/ZW5KicRsY2M https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072861.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072905.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072908.html https://factor.am/463101.html

Turkey officially authorizes Armenian airline FlyOne to hold Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan flights | Polis responds

The first flight is scheduled for February 2. In turn, Armenia will allow the Turkish Pegasus to fly to Armenia. The move is in response to attempts to normalize AM-TR relations.

FlyOne chief Ananyan: we've received many calls from the Polsahay community (Armenians of Istanbul). They are excited about strengthening ties with their homeland, besides the travel/business significance of air travel.

Singer Sibil: as a frequent AM-TR traveler, I welcome the developments. In the past, AtlasJet had direct flights but they went bankrupt in 2019. I have been forced to take a detour; the 2.5-hour flight became much longer.

Every time I return from Yerevan, I think if I will ever see my beautiful Yerevan again. I think if there are affordable direct flights, there will be more visits. I wish FlyOne the best of luck. //

Armenian intellectual Jan Erzurumluoglu: the flights will also allow Turks and Islamized Armenians to explore Armenian culture. It'll benefit Armenian tourism, especially post-Covid. //

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Foreign Ministry: We expect to open the borders and establish diplomatic relations, the same goals since the 1990s. There is an impression that Turkey is also willing to start a dialogue without preconditions.

Reporter: what will be the format of the January 14 meeting?

Foreign Ministry: Moscow will host the AM-TR special envoys. We'll get to know each other during the first meeting. Don't expect tangible results in a single meeting. We're launching a process. //

Russian MFA said the first meeting will be one-on-one, without Russia. [why does this feel like two puppies being introduced for the first time under adult supervision so they won't scratch each other]

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072830.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072848.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072872.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072878.html https://factor.am/463119.html

Turkish polls from December (by Yöneylem)

Whom would you vote for if the nominees were Erdogan from AKP, Kilicdaroglu from oppo alliance, and Demirtash from HDP?

- 37% Erdogan, 33% Kilicdaroglu, 12% Demirtash

- Istanbul mayor Imamoglu would beat Erdogan by 4%

- 56% will never vote for Erdogan

If the elections were tomorrow, do you believe Erdogan would win?

- 62% no

- 38% yes

Is Turkey being governed properly?

- 61% no

- 25% yes

Party preferencne:

- 31.6% ruling coalition

- 36.7% opposition parties

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072875.html

Aliyev's interview w/tantrum

He accused France of having a pro-Armenian stance during the war, and complained that he wasn't invited to "pro-Armenian" Joe Biden's democracy summit. He said Armenia isn't a democracy.

He also complained that Armenia's Security Council chief Grigoryan was invited to Washington for talks, but his Azeri counterpart wasn't.

He said the Russian peacekeepers are so far handling their tasks in Artsakh, but there are some "irritating" episodes. It's mainly about allowing some people to enter Artsakh without Azerbaijan's knowledge.

After French presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse visited Artsakh, Aliyev wrote a letter to Russia with a complaint. The peacekeepers responded saying they didn't notice her because she might have entered with a regular vehicle. Aliyev doesn't believe that. He said Azerbaijan would have attempted to arrest Pécresse on the Lachin corridor had they known she was there.

Aliyev also complained that Russian peacekeepers are "doing everything possible for more people to remain in Artsakh".

He said over 90% of vehicles entering Artsakh are not being searched, and that they mainly search the vehicles that exit. He essentially entertained the theory that the "excessive searches" upon exit are a form of harassment to discourage people from leaving.

Aliyev complained about the EU's proposed €2.6B financial aid for Armenia, and "only" €140M for Azerbaijan. He believed Azerbaijan can improve relations with the EU, especially if more aid is given.

Aliyev: we don't want a third war, but we will neutralize any threat if we see it. We want Armenia to recognize our borders and territorial integrity so we can end the military phase and establish normal relations. //

He also spoke about building a power grid to Nakhijevan via Syunik in addition to the proposed railway and road.

https://factor.am/462898.html https://factor.am/462903.html www.civilnet.am/news/646145/ալիևը-նոր-պահանջներ-է-ներկայացնում-հայաստանին․-ադրբեջանի-նախագահի-հարցազրույցի-հիմնական-մտքերը/

Azerbaijan returns a shepherd who accidentally crossed the border in Syunik

The incident happened near village Tegh. MOD held negotiations. The shepherd was handed over to Russian peacekeepers, who then transferred him to Armenia. Hundreds of sheep remain in Azerbaijan.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072911.html https://factor.am/463237.html https://factor.am/463241.html

Russia wants Armenia to press charges against Armenian-Russian University rector (with a glass of margarita 🍸 🍿)

Rector Armen Darbinyan: the baseless accusations against me is a result of pressure from Russia. Some circles in Russia did not appreciate my pro-Armenian stance during the war. I had criticized Dmitri Medvedev and Dmitri Peskov, telling them that Armenian people expect Russia to behave as an ally and not a mediator. Maybe my statements were overly emotional, but they were a result of Armenian-Russian brotherly relations.

They also didn't forgive me for my open letter to Margarita Simonyan (Russia Today outlet chief), in which I demanded her to respect the political choice of the Armenian people.

These circles operate against the best interests of Russia and AM-RU relations. For almost two years they've been trying to discredit me. Certain people in the former and current administrations joined these Russian circles. During the Serj Sargsyan administration, they began circulating the claim that our university had turned pro-Western.

At the request of Russian authorities, Armenian law enforcement launched a new baseless criminal investigation about alleged auction violations. I will resign if you drop the charges and issue an apology. //

Armenian prosecutor responds: regarding the claim that the investigation is "baseless". Our Russian colleagues sent us the Russian Education Ministry's reports about alleged financial violations.

Since we received a report about a possible crime, we had to launch a comprehensive investigation. ACC launched a case on January 7. The case isn't baseless because enough evidence was provided about a possible crime.

We will conduct an objective investigation that includes any exonerating evidence. The reason we haven't spoken about this in public earlier is that we're talking about a highly respected university and we did not want to damage its reputation with a public statement. //

https://factor.am/462874.html https://factor.am/462964.html

Armenia extradites a suspect to the United States

Armenian authorities worked with INTERPOL and the US embassy to apprehend a 43yo US citizen in Jrashen village.

The suspect is accused of crimes against children in the state of Pennsylvania. He was extradited on January 10.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/229175

VIDEO: piano concert broadcasted from inside Armenia's "Big Ben"

https://youtu.be/UG-xx-fl6Pw?t=9

COVID stats

5.7k tested. 298 infected. 111 healed. 4 deaths.

COVID reproduction rate explodes

CDC (Healthcare Ministry): there has been an increase in recent days. This is the first time we're seeing such a high rate of infection reproduction. It's 2.3.

There is an increase among children and adolescents. A few days ago Armenia was in the EU's Green Zone. Today it's Orange.

We're seeing waves that repeat every 3-4 months. How many infections we have depends on the measures we take. Without restrictions, the 4th wave would lead to 2,500-3,000 cases. That's why it's important to take preventative measures.

Only two Omicron cases have been detected in Armenia but I won't rule out that it's already spreading across the country. The best thing to do is to get vaccinated. //

CDC: vaccine/PCR restrictions led to daily 20,000 vaccinations

CDC chief Romella: the restrictions do matter. There were days with 20,000 vaccinations. Thousands of asymptomatic carriers were discovered with the mandatory PCR tests. They were referred to a doctor for monitoring. It helped break the development of new infection chains.

Starting January 22 you'll need a vaccine or PCR to visit several types of public facilities relating to food, culture, swimming, etc. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072841.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072864.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072880.html

vehicle hit a gas pipe in Yerevan

Artashisyan St. was engulfed in fire today after a car accident damaged the gas pipe. Firefighters called for reenforcement and escalated the alarm level. Six units were dispatched.

A body was discovered in the vehicle once the fire was extinguished. One firefighter was hospitalized.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/Iz0rm6YSKqs https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072901.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072913.html

medieval warhorses were the size of modern-day ponies

No armored guy sitting on big horses. All fake. Forget Hollywood.

>On average, horses from the Saxon and Norman periods (from the 5th through 12th centuries) were under 1.48 meters (4.9 feet)

>The study suggested that [modern horses], would have been seen as very large by medieval people

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/medieval-war-horses-were-smaller-than-modern-day-ponies-study-finds/

today in history

1945: East Prussian offensive begins to take Berlin. Ends with Soviet victory. Poland annexes most of East Prussia, while Königsberg (Kaliningrad) is given to Russia.

1991: Soviet troops invade Vilnius's TV building. 14 are killed. Months earlier Lithuania declared independence.

2012: giant cruise ship Costa Concordia, with over 4200 passengers, struck a rock and sank, while the captain was reportedly flirting with his girlfriend. 32 people died.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072817.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Prussian_offensive https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2775415/Glamorous-lover-Costa-Concordia-captain-claims-tried-flee-sinking-ship-helicopter-abandoned-passengers-crew.html

more

The news in русский (by Impossible-Ad-).

News archive: http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Daily_Anti-Corruption_Reports Donations: soldiers' families, humanitarian aid, US tax-deductible donation.

The accused are innocent unless proven guilty in the court of law, even if they "appear" guilty.

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/s3ao8c/14_million_bribery_story_wcute_offshore_islands/