Investigation into Serzh Sargsyan’s Sale of Gyumri’s Black Fortress Completed

YEREVAN — The Investigative Committee of Armenia has completed its preliminary investigation into the sale of Gyumri’s Black Fortress by former Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan.

The investigation was conducted by the Department for General and Electoral Crimes within the General Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases.

According to the Investigative Committee, evidence obtained during the investigation indicates that on May 11, 2005, Sargsyan sold the Black Fortress through a direct real estate transaction to a private individual for AMD 22,951,500.

The property, a 626.45-square-meter historical and cultural monument of national significance, was sold together with a 0.7-hectare plot of land designated for its use. The Investigative Committee said the sale was neither authorized nor envisaged by any Armenian government decision.

“As a result of the described actions, substantial damage was caused to the lawful interests of the state, negligently resulting in serious consequences. Specifically, the state lost ownership rights to a historical and cultural property of national significance,” the committee said.

The fortress was subsequently omitted from the annexes to Government Decision No. 385-N of March 15, 2007, which approved the state list of historical and cultural monuments considered public property and prohibited from privatization.

During the investigation, the supervising prosecutor initiated public criminal proceedings against Sargsyan under Article 441, Part 2, Clause 5 of Armenia’s Criminal Code. The provision concerns the abuse or exceeding of official authority, or the misuse of influence resulting from such authority, when the offense negligently causes other serious consequences.

The criminal case, together with the indictment, has been forwarded to the supervising prosecutor, the Investigative Committee said.