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ARMENIA: YEREVAN CRIMINAL CASE PUTS JUSTICE SYSTEM ON TRIAL
by Gayane Abrahamyan
EurasiaNet.org
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62873
Feb 10 2011
NY
A criminal case involving an Armenian-American entrepreneur accused
of sexual solicitation is raising fresh questions about whether
Armenian justice is designed to uphold the rights of citizens, or
serve special interests.
Serob Der-Boghossian, the 68-year-old owner of the mining company
Metal Prince Ltd. Corporation, was taken into custody on February 9.
Authorities suspect him of offering to pay socially vulnerable teenage
boys to engage in illicit activities, or, as they put it, to coerce
"them into homosexuality." If found guilty, Der-Boghossian could
face a possible prison term of up to three years and/or a fine of 9
million dram (about $25,000).
The General Prosecutor's Office said Der-Boghossian was taken into
custody in Yerevan, based on unspecified information provided by a
25-year-old employee of Metal Prince, Vahram Parsadanian, who appears
to have approached authorities after allegedly trying to blackmail
Der-Boghossian.
Der-Boghossian is adamantly denying the charges, saying they are
economically motivated. In a statement, he asserted the accusations
amount to "evil slander," intended "to seize the result of [my]
many years' hard work" at Metal Prince.
Metal Prince, which includes an ore-processing combine with 500
employees in Akhtala, ranks among Armenia's 300 biggest corporate
taxpayers, even though its mining operations are relatively small in
comparison with mines in southern Armenia. Registered in 2000 in the
British Caribbean island of Nevis, Metal Prince paid 380 million dram
(about $1.04 million) in taxes in 2010, according to official records.
Prices for metals on international markets have nearly doubled over the
past year - a trend that has increased revenues for Armenia's mining
companies. The mining sector is seen as an engine of Armenia's economy.
Without specifying the individuals suspected of carrying out what
he described as a smear campaign, Der-Boghossian asserted that the
charges against him were designed to destroy his reputation and force
him out as the head of his business. Those behind the accusations
are well aware that "the majority of people, after having heard the
things I am accused of, would be guided merely by emotions."
An official at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources'
Inspectorate for Mineral Resources also voiced suspicion that the
criminal case against the Armenian-American amounted to a business
power play. "Of course, I cannot say whether the crime ... has been
committed or not," said the official, who asked not to be named.
"However, one thing is obvious -- the purpose of revealing all this
is to take away his business."
The official deemed it "quite surprising" that Der-Boghossian had
managed to remain the sole owner of Metal Prince. "[T]he mining
industry, the most profitable business in our country, is only open
to those in the higher echelons of power," he alleged.
Up until this year, Der-Boghossian appeared to have some level of
protection. In 2009-10, Der-Boghossian reportedly served as an advisor
to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian.
Investigators have declined to discuss the case against
Der-Boghossian. National Security Service spokesperson Artsvin
Baghramian would not provide details about the evidence that served
as the basis for the entrepreneur's arrest so as "not to hinder the
preliminary investigation."
A January 31 article published by the investigative news website
Hetq.am claimed that Parsadanian, the Metal Prince employee and Akhtala
resident, had threatened to give police video footage allegedly
documenting Der-Boghossian's sexual activities with underage boys,
if the businessman did not pay him $30,000 for his silence.
On February 9, Hetq.am Editor-in-Chief Edik Bakhdasarian stated that
he would post video and audio materials on the YouTube video-sharing
website related to the accusations against Der-Boghossian, if the
government failed to file a criminal case against him.
Bakhdasarian claimed that the chief of the Alaverdi police department,
which oversees Akhtala, had warned him not to publish any story about
Der-Boghossian, adding "that really big people were backing Serob
and that we would find ourselves in big trouble."
Bakhdasarian went on to allege that the Alaverdi police were protecting
Der-Boghossian out of recognition for a $15,000 payment the journalist
claimed he made for renovations and computers provided to the Alaverdi
police station. In exchange, he continued, Der-Boghossian became a
member of Armenia's Police Public Council, an advisory group.
A spokesperson for the Alaverdi police department declined to comment
on the allegation, but national police spokesperson Sayat Shirinian
refuted the account. "I don't think that any police officer would
give such advice," Shirinian asserted. Members of the Police Public
Council declined to comment on the Hetq.am report.
Metal Prince employees declined to discuss the charges against
Der-Boghossian with EurasiaNet.org, but some parents in Akhtala have
spoken out against the mine owner's arrest. Forty-six parents of boys
playing in the Akhtala-93 soccer club, financed by Der-Boghossian,
have signed a petition demanding that Hetq.am retract its story,
saying the "absurd and insulting information" had brought "dishonor"
and a "black stigma" on the parents' families and their sons.
Meanwhile, some observers are keeping a close eye on the government
concerning the next move. In a statement published on his blog shortly
after Hetq.am's story appeared, Prime Minister Sarkisian promised
that he would make sure that "the investigation" into Der-Boghossian's
alleged activities is "quick, comprehensive and transparent" and that
"all those who are guilty are punished under the law."
Editor's note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com
in Yerevan.
From: A. Papazian
by Gayane Abrahamyan
EurasiaNet.org
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62873
Feb 10 2011
NY
A criminal case involving an Armenian-American entrepreneur accused
of sexual solicitation is raising fresh questions about whether
Armenian justice is designed to uphold the rights of citizens, or
serve special interests.
Serob Der-Boghossian, the 68-year-old owner of the mining company
Metal Prince Ltd. Corporation, was taken into custody on February 9.
Authorities suspect him of offering to pay socially vulnerable teenage
boys to engage in illicit activities, or, as they put it, to coerce
"them into homosexuality." If found guilty, Der-Boghossian could
face a possible prison term of up to three years and/or a fine of 9
million dram (about $25,000).
The General Prosecutor's Office said Der-Boghossian was taken into
custody in Yerevan, based on unspecified information provided by a
25-year-old employee of Metal Prince, Vahram Parsadanian, who appears
to have approached authorities after allegedly trying to blackmail
Der-Boghossian.
Der-Boghossian is adamantly denying the charges, saying they are
economically motivated. In a statement, he asserted the accusations
amount to "evil slander," intended "to seize the result of [my]
many years' hard work" at Metal Prince.
Metal Prince, which includes an ore-processing combine with 500
employees in Akhtala, ranks among Armenia's 300 biggest corporate
taxpayers, even though its mining operations are relatively small in
comparison with mines in southern Armenia. Registered in 2000 in the
British Caribbean island of Nevis, Metal Prince paid 380 million dram
(about $1.04 million) in taxes in 2010, according to official records.
Prices for metals on international markets have nearly doubled over the
past year - a trend that has increased revenues for Armenia's mining
companies. The mining sector is seen as an engine of Armenia's economy.
Without specifying the individuals suspected of carrying out what
he described as a smear campaign, Der-Boghossian asserted that the
charges against him were designed to destroy his reputation and force
him out as the head of his business. Those behind the accusations
are well aware that "the majority of people, after having heard the
things I am accused of, would be guided merely by emotions."
An official at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources'
Inspectorate for Mineral Resources also voiced suspicion that the
criminal case against the Armenian-American amounted to a business
power play. "Of course, I cannot say whether the crime ... has been
committed or not," said the official, who asked not to be named.
"However, one thing is obvious -- the purpose of revealing all this
is to take away his business."
The official deemed it "quite surprising" that Der-Boghossian had
managed to remain the sole owner of Metal Prince. "[T]he mining
industry, the most profitable business in our country, is only open
to those in the higher echelons of power," he alleged.
Up until this year, Der-Boghossian appeared to have some level of
protection. In 2009-10, Der-Boghossian reportedly served as an advisor
to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian.
Investigators have declined to discuss the case against
Der-Boghossian. National Security Service spokesperson Artsvin
Baghramian would not provide details about the evidence that served
as the basis for the entrepreneur's arrest so as "not to hinder the
preliminary investigation."
A January 31 article published by the investigative news website
Hetq.am claimed that Parsadanian, the Metal Prince employee and Akhtala
resident, had threatened to give police video footage allegedly
documenting Der-Boghossian's sexual activities with underage boys,
if the businessman did not pay him $30,000 for his silence.
On February 9, Hetq.am Editor-in-Chief Edik Bakhdasarian stated that
he would post video and audio materials on the YouTube video-sharing
website related to the accusations against Der-Boghossian, if the
government failed to file a criminal case against him.
Bakhdasarian claimed that the chief of the Alaverdi police department,
which oversees Akhtala, had warned him not to publish any story about
Der-Boghossian, adding "that really big people were backing Serob
and that we would find ourselves in big trouble."
Bakhdasarian went on to allege that the Alaverdi police were protecting
Der-Boghossian out of recognition for a $15,000 payment the journalist
claimed he made for renovations and computers provided to the Alaverdi
police station. In exchange, he continued, Der-Boghossian became a
member of Armenia's Police Public Council, an advisory group.
A spokesperson for the Alaverdi police department declined to comment
on the allegation, but national police spokesperson Sayat Shirinian
refuted the account. "I don't think that any police officer would
give such advice," Shirinian asserted. Members of the Police Public
Council declined to comment on the Hetq.am report.
Metal Prince employees declined to discuss the charges against
Der-Boghossian with EurasiaNet.org, but some parents in Akhtala have
spoken out against the mine owner's arrest. Forty-six parents of boys
playing in the Akhtala-93 soccer club, financed by Der-Boghossian,
have signed a petition demanding that Hetq.am retract its story,
saying the "absurd and insulting information" had brought "dishonor"
and a "black stigma" on the parents' families and their sons.
Meanwhile, some observers are keeping a close eye on the government
concerning the next move. In a statement published on his blog shortly
after Hetq.am's story appeared, Prime Minister Sarkisian promised
that he would make sure that "the investigation" into Der-Boghossian's
alleged activities is "quick, comprehensive and transparent" and that
"all those who are guilty are punished under the law."
Editor's note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com
in Yerevan.
From: A. Papazian