As a result of this it turned out that the governmental department of state property management has sold 206 state-owned companies and buildings. According to the #92 governmental resolution, as of 1994, state-owned properties can be sold only through organizing fair auctions. But most of the state-owned companies and buildings were sold directly without organizing auctions. As a rule, the government presented all the state-owned properties to the relevant governmental department that is to evaluate them. But this department, by violating the mentioned governmental decision, evaluated a fixed price on the basis of “the balance method” instead of evaluating a start price for auction. The research shows that this evaluation was just a fake process. These properties were sold at other prices, and very often they sold the properties for lower prices. The conclusion of the general prosecutor’s office states that as a result of the activities of the relevant governmental agency, which will evaluate state properties, the state budget got losses because in most cases these properties were sold at much lower prices than necessary. For instance, Tigran Petikyan’s only paid 3 million AMD for his villa in Tsakhkadzor belonging to “Sapfir” JSC with a big garden. There are many similar examples.
The conclusion of the general prosecutor’s office states that as a result of the authorities of the corresponding department a lot of buildings and companies were sold at prices much less than the real market price. The general prosecutor’s office has questioned some officials representing the corresponding governmental department, but they failed to give correct answers about the fixed methods of evaluating state properties. In fact this evaluation was done without any principle, rule and as they wanted. The relevant application letters writing about privatizing state properties were addressed to certain people and had personal character. This means that they didn’t set a price to sell properties, but wrote the prices proposed by buyers. The general prosecutor’s office has sent a letter to this department warning them about the above mentioned with the purpose of preventing such things in the future. The final research was also sent to Andranik Margaryan.
We asked the NA vice speaker, Tigran Torosyan about this answer of the general prosecutor’s office. Tigran Torosyan said that first of all, he didn’t know anything about that document and added that if the general prosecutor’s office had any facts registered they could institute legal proceedings.
“I think that the document is absurd. It’s only numbers. If there were illegal activities they would do that before. It is a pity that they have started discussing it actively just now and don’t say anything concrete concerning the main issue”, said republican Tigran Torosyan regarding the governmental program of privatizations of 2001-2003.
Since the department of state property management and the Government were given a late reply we don’t know anything about their opinions. Probably they will express them.