Today it was made public that besides Hayk Babukhanyan, Hovhannes Galajyan and Gegham Grigoryan the head of the “New Times Party” Aram Karapetyan will own “Zaruhi” LLC publishing-house (which publishes the “Argumenti i facti”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Iskakan Iravunk” newspapers). He had bought 25 percent of shares of “Zaruhi” LLC publishing-house from Vigen Hakobyan.
It turns out that this news has shocked the other three shareholders. In particular Hayk Babukhanyan and Hovhannes Galajyan said that they were not aware of this and that Vigen Hakobyan didn’t have the right to cut this deal without discussing it with the other owners. Galajyan said that they are going to appeal this issue at any court instance to ensure this deal is cancelled because according to the charter of Zaruhi LTD Hakobyan should have offered his share to other shareholders before selling it to a third party. He declines to do so. Yesterday we succeeded in getting comments from Hakobyan. He announced that he has sold to Karapetyan not his share but the right to control his shares: “I have sold the right to control my share in the company to Karapetyan. The charter authorizes me to do so. I could sell this right to anybody at any named price,” said Hakobyan and emphasized that he hadn’t sold the whole package. The rest of the details of the transaction are commerce secrets. According to Hakobyan he has sold this right to Karapetyan because he doesn’t wish to be involved in newspaper business any more. “I have been busy doing something else for a long time and this business wasn’t interesting to me any more,” he said. He also said that the media statements, according to which he works for the “Iravunk” newspaper, are not true. “When Hrant Khachatryan retrieved his party and Iravunk newspaper he offered me a serious job but I refused because I repeat I am doing something else.” Hakobyan was surprised about the statements of his former colleagues, who said they were not aware of the transaction. “As Zaruhi LTD is registered at Galajyan’s address on Komitas street I have sent the relevant letter to their house on September 17.” To the question why he had sold his share he said that he had decided to quit newspaper business. “Taking into account the political ambitions of the other owners of the newspaper this business would give me nothing but headache. Besides judging from the fact that I had not ever received any dividends from this newspaper I can say that this business is not profitable.” As Karapetyan has decided to communicate with media only through his solicitors we have asked the head of the public affairs department of the party what Karapetyan is going to do with this right and whether he’s going to sell it later. “ Aram Karapetyan said that the deal was of commercial character and has nothing in common with human relations,” said party officer of PR department Emanuel Margaryan. To the question why Karapetyan had bought this right considering his unfavroable relations with Babukhanyan, Margaryan said, “He told me to tell you that he intends to sign similar agreements not only with printed media, but also with electronic media.”