BUSINESS IN THE OFFSHORE ZONE
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
June 21 2013
21 June 2013 – 7:30pm
David Stepanyan, Yerevan, exclusively to VK
In Armenia, another scandal has broken out, apparently not increasing
the rating of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia. After a series
of high-profile revelations of illegal activities of senior officials
abusing their official position and, as a rule, members of the party
of power, the turn came of the unsinkable Prime Minister Tigran
Sarkisyan …
Within just one day the media were full of articles reporting on
the company WLISPERA HOLDINGS LIMITED registered in the name of the
Prime Minister in the offshore zone. In this regard, it should be
recalled that Sarkisian, at least in words, is a staunch advocate
of separation of business from government, the fight against the
shadow economy and corruption. However, according to investigative
journalism by the website hetq.am, the Prime Minister (by the way,
along with the leader of the Ararat Diocese Archbishop Navasard
Kchoyan and businessman Ashot Sukiasyan) is one of the shareholders
of an offshore company registered in Cyprus.
However, the Prime Minister, speaking to MPs in the parliament, did his
best to dispel this information, stating that the latter has nothing
to do with reality. Sargsyan said that the specifics of offshore
legislation allow almost any person to register a company under any
name without asking the permission of the latter and generally without
his knowledge. He also stated categorically that any offshore companies
are not registered, and no one has such powers. The prime minister
expressed confidence that such false accusations were used by his many
enemies “as the ideal method of discrediting”, which does not bother
him, as these are not the first and not the last charges against him.
According to some rumors in the corridors of power, as there is no
smoke without fire, even in 2010, Ashot Sukiasyan, under the project
of turning Armenia into one of the world’s centers for diamond cutting
and polishing, obtained from the “Ameria” bank a loan of $10.7 million
under the mediation of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Economy
Nerses Yeritsyan and Archbishop Kchoyan. A pledge for a loan became
the property of Pailak Hayrapetyan at a total cost of $33 million;
however, it has been found in Armenia, Sukiasyan has not fulfilled
a single obligation under the business program, which, however, for
some reason did not prevent the “Ameria” bank regularly continuing
to transfer millions to the bank accounts of the Cypriot offshore
entity, one of which, of course, was the joint brainchild of the
Prime Minister, the Archbishop and the unfortunate businessman.
Amazingly, the commercial bank for some reason not only did not control
the use of funds, but did not stop an allocation of 6 tranches,
even after Sukiasyan had not fulfilled a single undertaking on
them. However, many things are becoming clear, given that it was
Ashot Sukiasyan who was a generous donor to his godfather, Archbishop
Navasard Kchoyan, giving him, to put it mildly, a not very cheap
Bentley Continental. The latter, in turn, is known to be a great
friend of the Prime Minister. It should be noted that, due to his
“successful” business, Sukiasyan before this transaction owed millions
not only in Armenia, but also in Russia and even in Africa, and then,
taking the family, fled to an unknown destination.
Based on the statements by Pailak Hayrapetyan, you can come to the
conclusion that it happened and was made possible with the help and
the patronage of the Prime Minister, the former Minister of Economy
and the Archbishop of Ararat. However, Kchoyan, of course, described
the publication of these intriguing data as “false and untrue.”
However, this did not prevent the police from initiating on the basis
of testimony by Pailak Hayrapetyan in this regard a criminal case,
in which, however, to this day no one has somehow put forward a single
charge. The Prime Minister appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office
with a requirement to “give a legal assessment of this publication
and to punish those responsible.” And the editor of hetq.am said that
he has all the necessary documents proving the facts mentioned in the
publication, including the offshore company registration in the name
of Tigran Sarkisyan.
Thus, so far no significant reaction to the published facts has
followed from the Prosecutor General’s Office, from the investigating
authorities, from the police or from the presidential administration.
Meanwhile, in any other normal country, the fact of the publication
of such facts would attract the attention of at least all of the
above authorities, and at best would lead to the resignation of
the government.
It is clear that the government is clearly not interested “in the
slaughter” of Sarkisian and therefore makes every effort to help the
Prosecutor General’s Office in its efforts to “achieve justice.” This
is confirmed by the stubborn silence of information and propaganda
machine controlled by the Republicans.
Finally, we turn to the main question – in whose interests could
the media display information which impacts on the second person in
the state? Indirectly, this question could be answered by patronage
exercised by the U.S. Embassy in Armenia to the resources of hetq.am
engaged in investigative journalism. However, given that the presence
of Prime Minister Sargsyan of Armenia in a chair not just pleases but
is visibly supported by the U.S., this information leak is unlikely
to be carried out by the States.
In turn, Moscow, if desired, could probably find more loyal and
reliable sources of leaking than a pro-Western resource. Thus, most
of all, Sarkisian has become a “victim” of squabbles and intrigues
within the Republican Party, not pleasing someone from the members
of the “Politburo.” Given that the activities of the “top” are not
accountable to the public and are not focused on solving the problems
of the citizens but on protecting its own or group interests, this
is the most likely scenario.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/41759.html