Author: Andres-Papazian

FBI REPRESENTATIVES TOLD ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL ABOUT SOME DETAILS OF THE SCANDALOUS CRIMINAL CASE INVOLVING ARMENIANS

ArmInfo
2010-10-21 17:21:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan met with
Resident Legal Advisor of the US Embassy in Armenia Steve Kessler,
FBI legal attache Kevin Donovan, FBI regional security officer Lance
Levequeen and legal advisor David Khachatryan today.

The press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia
reports that the sides discussed the joint efforts of the Armenian and
US law enforcers in fighting crime. Donovan thanked Hovsepyan for his
commitment to cooperate. He told him about the bank and health care
fraud case that is being investigated by the US police and involves
citizens of Armenian nationality. 73 US citizens have been charged
with money laundering, bank and health care fraud.

32 people were detained Oct 13. They have been charged with faking
medical insurances and stealing some $162mln as a result. Donovan
promised to inform Hovsepyan how many Armenians and Armenian citizens
there are in the group. He said that if need be the US police will
ask their Armenian colleagues for help. The sides agreed to exchange
information on the matter.

From: A. Papazian

TRACE OF MONEY STOLEN IN USA LEADS FBI TO ARMENIAN NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

ArmInfo
2010-10-21 16:18:00

ArmInfo.A dozens of agents of the Federal Bureau of Intelligence
(FBI) have arrived in Armenia to investigate activity of a criminal
group of Armenians arrested in the USA.

The goal of the FBI mission is to find out the fate of the money
stolen in the USA. In particular, the Yerevan-based Haykakan Zhamanak
opposition daily reports that FBI in cooperation with the National
Security Council of Armenia is going to find out the spheres where
the stolen funds were invested in.

The newspaper’s data on certain Armen Ghazaryan (Pzo) arrested in
the USA say that when the latter arrived in Armenia in 2000 he was
welcomed at the airport by the incumbent president of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan then Head of the president Robert Kocharyan’s staff. Later
when Prime Minister of that period Aram Sargsyan charged arrested Pzo,
Serzh Sargsyan personally asked Aram Sargsyan to set him free.

Press Secretary of the Armenian President Armen Arzumanyan told
ArmInfo he has no intention to comment on such absurd things.

To recall, on October 13 early in the morning the organizers of the
largest Medicare fraud scheme ever perpetrated by a single criminal
enterprise in Medicare program’s history have been arrested in the
USA. According to the data of the US Justice Ministry, 73 people in
California, Georgia, New Mexico, New York and Ohio, being art and part
in this sphere, have been detained. Among the detained is head of the
criminal group Armen Ghazaryan, a native of the USSR, a thief in law.

He is currently in custody in Los Angeles. The defendants in the New
York case had stolen the identities of doctors and set up 118 phantom
clinics in 25 States. The names were used to submit fake bills for
over 100 million dollars for care that was never given.

From: A. Papazian

JUDGE OPTS OUT OF SCHMIDT-KRIKORIAN SUIT
By Barrett J. Brunsman

Cincinnati.com

Oct 19 2010
Ohio

BATAVIA – Rep. Jean Schmidt’s defamation lawsuit against David
Krikorian, a political foe who allegedly said she is beholden to
the Turkish government, has taken on Byzantine overtones in Clermont
County Common Pleas Court.

Judge Victor M. Haddad, a Republican, asked the Ohio Supreme Court
to remove him from the case, noting that he has contributed money to
Schmidt and continues to support her politically.

“I can be fair, (but) that’s not the issue,” Haddad said. “It’s
the appearance.”

Schmidt, a Miami Township Republican, represents the 2nd Congressional
District, which includes Clermont County and eastern Hamilton County.

On Oct. 27, visiting Judge John W. Kessler of Montgomery County, who
has been assigned to take over the case, is to schedule hearings on
motions by the attorneys.

Haddad said he didn’t get a chance to announce he hoped to be removed
from the case until after Christopher P. Finney, one of Krikorian’s
attorneys, said during a Sept. 27 hearing that Schmidt’s attorneys
shouldn’t represent her.

Finney said he intends to call as witnesses in the case Schmidt
attorneys Bruce E. Fein and Donald C. Brey to question them about
who is paying their legal bills.

It’s not Schmidt “but special interest groups … paying for these
expensive lawyers to sit here and persecute a former political
opponent of Mrs. Schmidt over protected political speech,” Finney
told the judge. “She’s up to her ears in conflicts of interest and,
in fact, illegal conduct with the Turkish lobby in this country.”

The suit claims that Krikorian, an Armenian-American who failed to
unseat Schmidt in 2008, falsely accused her of taking money from
Turkish government-sponsored political action committees to deny the
genocide of 1.5 million Christian Armenians by Muslim Turks during
World War I.

Filed in June, the suit seeks $6.8 million in compensatory and punitive
damages from the Madeira businessman for what Schmidt claims were
false allegations of complicity in campaign finance crimes, bribery
and perjury.

“This court is being abused in a horrific way by a sitting member of
the United States Congress,” Finney said. “We believe this case is
frivolous and entirely political. …

“These statements (made by Krikorian are) a normal part of the
political discourse covered by the First Amendment,” Finney said.

Brey denied Finney’s allegations and said the suggestion Schmidt’s
attorneys should be removed from the case was “sort of trial by
ambush.”

Finney’s “attempt to depose and take all sorts of attorney-client
privileged documents from me and from Jean Schmidt’s other counsel
is utterly improper,” Brey said.

From: A. Papazian

17.9% DROP RECORDED IN ARMENIA’S AGRICULTURE IN JANUARY-SEPTEMBER 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 21, 2010 – 17:59 AMT 12:59 GMT

According to updated data, 17.9% drop was recorded in Armenia’s
agriculture in January-September 2010.

The volume of total agricultural production amounted to AMD 426.7bln
during the reporting period, the RA National Statistical Service
reported.

From: A. Papazian

THE WINGS OF TATEV TO ENTER GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 21, 2010 – 16:49 AMT 11:49 GMT

On October 23, Tatev village of Syunik region, Armenia, will host
a ceremony of certification and inclusion of the world’s longest
reversible passenger aerial tramway – The Wings of Tatev – in The
Guinness World Records.

A representative of The Guinness World Records has already arrived
in Armenia for the ceremony, the press service of the National
Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia reported.

Director of the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia Bekor
Papazyan and Governor of Syunik region Suren Khachatryan will also
participate in the ceremony.

From: A. Papazian

BAGRAT ASATRYAN: ARMENIA’S CITIZENS WILL NOT BECOME HAPPIER BY END OF 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 21, 2010 – 14:41 AMT 09:41 GMT

Former chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Bagrat Asatryan said
that the 2011 state budget of Armenia is not the best one in the
country’s history.

“Armenia’s citizens will not become happier by the end of 2011, while
those people, who cannot live with our reality, will leave the country,
as the Motherland cannot create favorable life conditions for them,”
said Asatryan.

According to him, under the 2011 budget, 14.5% and 42.4% drop
will be recorded in the educational and agricultural expenditures
respectively. Besides, only 7.7% growth is envisaged in the social
expenditures, while inflation already amounted to 7.8% during the
first nine months of 2010.

Asatryan also believes that the pension reforms have been failed in
Armenia. “It had been decided to adopt all relevant laws in 2010, with
voluntary and compulsory pension systems to start operating from 2011.

However, as a result of discussions, the compulsory system was
postponed for three years, i.e. the radical reforms have been
postponed, as our government is unable to solve serious tasks,”
concluded Asatryan.

From: A. Papazian

DESECRATION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES’ MEMORIALS SHOULD BE SEVERELY PUNISHED

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 21, 2010 – 17:00 AMT 12:00 GMT

Desecration of memorial to Holocaust victims and chauvinistic
inscription is a proof of restricted mentality of perpetrators,
Holy Etchmiadzin said in a statement.

“Holy Etchmiadzin strongly condemns actions aimed at stirring
international hatred, calling for severe punishment of perpetrators.”

Unknown people desecrated the monument to Holocaust victims in Yerevan
on the night of October 20. The frontside of the monument was coated
with brown paint; on the backside “Death to Jews” was inscribed.

From: A. Papazian

RUSSIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA MENTIONS ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI LANGUAGES AS PRIMARY IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 21, 2010 – 17:05 AMT 12:05 GMT

Armenian journalists addressed an open letter to the editors of the
Big Illustrated Geography Encyclopedia with a request to revise the
information printed in the book.

“The encyclopedia which is sold in Armenian bookstores says that
Armenian and Azerbaijani languages are primary in Armenia while the
religions are Orthodox and Islam (Shiite). Moreover, it says that
Artsakh is mentioned as ‘historical territory of Azerbaijan, mostly
inhabited by Armenians,” Ankakh magazine editor Varduhi Ishkhanyan
said.

From: A. Papazian

PANARMENIAN.NET WEBSITE STILL UNAVAILABLE IN SYRIA, ARMENIAN CONSULATE IN ALEPPO UNAWARE OF THE FACT

GMTPanARMENIAN.Net
October 21, 2010 – 17:27 AMT 12:27

Local users are also unable to load как ,
Armenian websites, a Syrian user, who preferred to keep
his identity secret, told PanARMENIAN.Net

As a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter was told at Armenian consulate in Syria,
no problems with website functioning in the country was observed.

As the agency was told earlier, has for a long
period been unavailable in the territory of Syria. PanARMENIAN.Net
conducted study of the resource statistics revealed that after April
24, 2010 (Armenian Genocide commemoration day) statistical system
reported zero website visits in Syria.

Many social websites such as Facebook, YouTube and others have been
blocked in Syria.

PanARMENIAN.Net editorial staff continues to research into the
reason behind the malfunctioning of the resource in Syria over the
last months.

From: A. Papazian

FRENCH EMBASSY IN ARMENIA LIGHTENS ENTRY VISA REQUIREMENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 21, 2010 – 18:46 AMT 13:46 GMT

French consul to Armenia Frederic Grapen announced lightening of
entry visa requirements for Armenian citizen, already in possession
of Type C Shengen visa as of November 1, 2008.

Starting November 1, the following documents are to be submitted:
reference from a workplace in Armenia containing information on
salary amount and employer’s permission for leave; bank reference of
financial status: bank balance, tourist cheques (60euro per a day of
stay), passport of a spouse and adult children as well as military
service card for those under 27.

French translation for Armenian-language documents is required. Forms
are to be filled in in Armenian, French or English languages.

Starting November 15, online appointments will be made possible at
French Embassy Website.

From: A. Papazian