On July 4, 2025, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan submitted a motion for consent to initiate criminal prosecution against Seyran Mushegh Ohanyan, Member of the Eighth Convocation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, in accordance with the procedure provided for by the Constitutional Law “Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly”.

The Prosecutor General, in particular, noted:

Within the period stipulated by the Constitutional Law “Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly”, I will briefly present the motion for consent to the initiation of criminal prosecution against Seyran Mushegh Ohanyan, Member of the Eighth Convocation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The motion has been officially submitted to the National Assembly and is published on its official website.

Factual data was obtained in the course of the preliminary investigation conducted by the General Department of Military Investigations of the Investigative Committee under criminal proceedings No. 90101617, that a 10,526 square meter land plot located at 71, 1st Street, Drakhtik community, Gegharkunik region—part of the territory of the “Sevan” National Park SNCO and classified as state property—was unlawfully seized. Between 2010 and 2015, a private residence was constructed on the land by an individual who lacked the legal right to develop the site and was obligated to submit a declaration. On December 12, 2016, as a result of a tender held by the Interdepartmental Tender Commission, Beniamin Suren Ghalechyan, a resident of Yerevan, was declared the sole winner. The land was granted to him with lease and development rights for a period of 25 years, under the condition that he invest AMD 250,000,000 within two years to build a recreational area.

The preliminary investigation also revealed that the 10,526 square meter land plot located at 71, 1st Street, Drakhtik community, Gegharkunik region—part of the territory of the “Sevan” National Park SNCO and classified as state property—as well as the unauthorized private residence constructed on it, have been under the actual possession of a person obligated to submit a declaration, since 2010.

Within the framework of the mentioned proceedings, on May 25, 2023, criminal proceedings No. 90152923 were initiated, and the further conduct of the preliminary investigation was assigned to the General Department of Investigations of the National Security Service (NSS).

On January 5, 2024, due to amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, the further conduct of the preliminary investigation under the criminal proceedings was transferred to the Investigative Committee.

On January 29, 2025, criminal proceedings No. 58201825 were initiated, and the further conduct of the preliminary investigation was again assigned to the Investigative Committee.

On February 12, 2025, criminal proceedings No. 58201825 were merged with criminal proceedings No. 90152923, and the further investigation was conducted under No. 90152923.

On March 20, 2025, criminal proceedings No. 58207825 were initiated, and responsibility for the preliminary investigation was assigned to the Investigative Committee.

On March 24, 2025, criminal proceedings No. 58207825 were merged with criminal proceedings No. 90152923, and the further investigation was conducted under No. 90152923.

On June 9, 2025, the prosecutor supervising over the legality of the preliminary investigation under criminal proceedings No. 90152923 submitted a proposal, in accordance with point 14 of part 1 of Article 38 of the Criminal Procedure Code, to apply to the competent authority with a motion to obtain consent for initiating criminal prosecution against a person enjoying immunity from criminal prosecution.

According to the proposal submitted by the supervising prosecutor, the investigation has obtained sufficient evidence providing grounds to initiate public criminal prosecution against Seyran Ohanyan, a Member of the Eighth Convocation of the National Assembly, under part 2 of Article 308, point 2 of part 4 of Article 311, point 1 of part 3 of Article 190, and part 2 of Article 314.3 of the Criminal Code adopted on April 18, 2003 (corresponding to points 2, 4 and 5 of part 2 of Article 441; point 3 of part 3 of Article 435; point 3 of part 3 of Article 296; and part 2 of Article 444 of the Criminal Code that entered into force on July 1, 2022). The charges concern the fact that, while serving as Minister of Defense from April 14, 2008 to September 9, 2016, he unlawfully seized and occupied—without legal grounds—a 10,526 square meter land plot classified as a “specially protected natural area”, located within the territory of the “Sevan” National Park SNCO and considered state property, at 71, 1st Street, Drakhtik community, Gegharkunik region.

Thus:

1. Seyran Ohanyan, by using his official position for self-interest and other personal interests, contrary to the interests of public service, abused his official authority. As a result, significant harm was caused to the lawful interests of society and the state, and serious consequences arose due to negligence.

2. Seyran Ohanyan, in complicity with Ashot Grigoryan, received a particularly large bribe of AMD 58,000,000 for illegally conferring advantages to “Sitta Group” LLC, owned by Levon Barseghyan’s family in procurement processes carried out by the Ministry of Defense, for acting in favor of the aforementioned organization and Grigor Barseghyan, holding the position of the Head of Division at the Ministry of Defense, for contributing to the commission of such an action, as well as for connivance.

Commission of criminal acts provided for in part 2 of Article 308 and point 2 of part 4 of Article 311 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, adopted on April 18, 2003 (corresponding to points 2, 4, and 5 of part 2 of Article 441 and point 3 of part 3 of Article 435 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia that entered into force on July 1, 2022) are attributed to Seyran Ohanyan.

3. Seyran Ohanyan, having assumed the state political position of the Member of the Eighth Convocation of the National Assembly since August 2, 2021, being a person obliged to submit a declaration as established by Article 34 of the RA Law “On Public Service”, in the declaration on property, income, and interests of an official as of the date of assuming office, submitted by him to the Corruption Prevention Commission on October 19, 2021, and then also in the annual declarations of an official submitted in 2022, 2023, and 2024, concealed a land plot of 10,526 square meters located at 71, 1st Street, Drakhtik community, Gegharkunik region, which in fact belonged to him, but was included in the territory of the “Sevan” National Park SNCO and registered under the name of Beniamin Ghalechyan with the right to construction, as well as the information subject to declaration regarding the building constructed on it, owned by him and built by him. As of 2021, property worth AMD 123,369,193 was not declared, as of 2022 – AMD 145,065,256, and as of 2023 – AMD 166,402,824.

Thus, Seyran Ohanyan concealed the data subject to declaration, which led to the non-declaration of particularly large amounts of property.

In other words, commission of a criminal act provided for in part 2 of Article 314.3 of the Criminal Code adopted on April 18, 2003 (corresponds to part 2 of Article 444 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, that entered into force on July 1, 2022) is attributed to Seyran Ohanyan.

Thus, assessing the evidence collected under the criminal proceedings in terms of relevance, admissibility, credibility, and the combination of all evidence in terms of sufficiency, it should be recorded that there are sufficient grounds to initiate public criminal prosecution against Seyran Ohanyan, Member of the Eighth Convocation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, under part 2 of Article 308, point 2 of part 4 of Article 311, point 1 of part 3 of Article 190, and part 2 of Article 314.3 of the Criminal Code adopted on April 18, 2003 (corresponding to points 2, 4, and 5 of part 2 of Article 441; point 3 of part 3 of Article 435; point 3 of part 3 of Article 296; and part 2 of Article 444 of the Criminal Code that entered into force on July 1, 2022). Therefore, based on the proposal submitted by the supervising prosecutor to apply to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia for obtaining consent to initiate public criminal prosecution against Seyran Ohanyan, Member of the Eighth Convocation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, and guided by Article 96 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, Article 108 of the Constitutional Law “Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia” and point 9 of part 1 of Article 37 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia;

I HEREBY SUBMIT A MOTION

To give consent for initiating public criminal prosecution against Seyran Mushegh Ohanyan, Member of the Eighth Convocation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia."