During the question and answer session at the National Assembly the representatives of the Heritage faction asked questions to the Prime Minister of RA Serzh Sargsyan about the inspections that are being conducted in Sil Holding belonging to Sukiasyan’s family. Member of Heritage faction Anahit Bakshyan reminded Serzh Sargsyan about his own statement that the most important thing now is to create a good moral and psychological atmosphere, and asked if the checking of Sil Group in the context of the recent home political developments favors the creation of this atmosphere. Serge Sargsyan confirmed that the atmosphere is highly important, and is a key to further success, but he added that probably there are different perceptions of this atmosphere. “ Your are right. There are media agencies, which make a huge noise out of regular inspections. There are a number of circumstances. I want to draw your attention to a few facts. Everyone says the economy is divided between two or three clans. I would like you to think. You’ve just enumerated, so ardently, which clans? This is one. I would just like you to think, not to answer. I am asking you. Second, what do you think, if a person is in politics, should he avoid paying taxes? Thirdly, when didn’t they check Sil Group’s taxes and others’? If there is nothing to worry, why are they making a fuss? Why are they politicizing economic activities? I would like to tell you, yes, tax policy will be made stricter because it is the first precondition for competition, for fair competition,” Sargsyan says. Bakshyan retorted that it is true that everyone should obey the law but it is also true that everyone should begin with themselves and their kith and kin in establishing legality and justice. She said that there are other clans as well and it would be wiser if these laws were endorsed for them as well. “I understand your hint. I started with myself a long time ago and I wish more people were as law-abiding as me, from stopping under red light, the fact you know, to all the rest. I would like to suggest that you read attentively, not just scan the list of taxpayers released by the tax and customs agencies for several years now, for you to see who the major taxpayers are, if these people are related to me or not, if we have been together at the university or not, and so on. You see, nobody can reproach me for that, and I would never have the right to give instructions if I ever protected my friends and relatives from the tax and customs agencies. This is true. I see you can hardly believe it but it is true. You see, I cannot look people in the eye from this rostrum, generally anyone, and tell a lie. The tax and customs agency can testify,” Sargsyan says. Also, during the briefing the reporters asked if Serge Sargsyan considers Mikhail Baghdasarov to be his friend, and his thoughts on the fact that his companies started paying less taxes and rank lower on the list of taxpayers released by the tax and customs agencies, the prime minister said he does not consider Mikhail Baghdasarov as his friend. The question of another Heritage faction MP Zaruhi Postanjyan also partly related to Sil Holding. She has also mentioned the existence of political detainees in Armenia by referring to Zhirayr Sefilyan, Vardan Malkhasyan and the chief editor of Zhamanak Yerevan newspaper Arman Babajanyan. Postanjyan asked Sargsyan to what extent Sargsyan’s conviction of the moral environment in the country reconciled with the reality in the context of the arrest of his military comrade Sefilyan. "I don’t need a lawyer when communicating with my military comrades. I am honestly slightly surprised as you being a lawyer must know that the Prime Minister is not authorized to respond to matters related to the Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia and the judiciary branch overall. Of course I was speaking about the moral environment in the country but I never meant that the Prime Minister or me, as an individual will be able to keep all the people satisfied. No one can give such guarantees," answered Sargsyan. He also added that despite the fact that the government committee was formed o discuss the release of the detainees under probation the Prime Minister still cannot affect or mediate the decision of the independent body.
