After the dismissal of almost all the Armenian defense ministers, criminal cases were initiated against Serzh Sargsyan, Vazgen Manukyan, Mikayel Harutyunyan, and Vigen Sargsyan. Former minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan was accused of violating 3 articles at once during Robert Kocharyan’s administration in 2004: Articles 300, 301, and 318, which were punishable with imprisonment of up to 10-15 years. Now it is Davit Tonoyan’s turn; he is accused of corruption. And here the question arises: were the leaders of our army truly corrupt robbers, thieves, and abusers of their official positions, or has this already become a “good” tradition in which former ministers continue to be prosecuted for generations? In a conversation with Aravot in this regard, the former Minister of Defense and head of the Armenia faction, Seyran Ohanyan, said, “I do not think that the defense ministers are corrupt, thieving officials.
These are fabrications and lies. Even in the context of this latest case, it is not appropriate to carry out such loud events, searches, and announcements. They are meant to provide a scene for the people to be distracted from the situation or to carry out other secret tasks behind people’s backs. Or they are looking for people responsible for the situation. I am answering specifically for myself. There were two criminal cases, one of which was dismissed. They were the problems related to March 1. I did not accept that accusation because I am not guilty of anything there. The second was the case of Dzora HPP. Again, it was fake. How can the Minister of Defense be guilty when the professional department dealt with this issue, the Ministry of Energy and the sale of Dzora HPP as a big deal was carried out by the decision of the government, and the decisions of the government are passed according to the relevant procedure? It is controlled by all state departments and they give their opinion. If we look at the price comparison, then it was sold at a normal price. The investigators are trying to find a context, but I am not the beneficiary. They should search and find something.”
In response to the question of if Davit Tonoyan is being wrongly accused, Ohanyan answered, “I can not say that they are wrongfully accused, but both Davit Tonoyan and the generals were not the people who did not go quietly and take part in the investigation after receiving the notification. It is not appropriate to create such scenes.”
In response to the question if he thinks there is political persecution, Seyran Ohanyan answered, “I can not say that. There is pre-investigation secrecy, I, as a witness, do not fully understand what happened in that case. The bodies dealing with this case can give a full assessment. I have recognized Davit Tonoyan as my partner and my first deputy, and as a normal, knowledgeable, and conscientious person.” He assured that Tonoyan was honest.
Read also
Expired missiles arrived in Armenian warehouses in 2011 under Seyran Ohanyan. Authorities are once again pointing fingers at the former officials for buying expired missiles. So, in response to the questions of if he saw those expired missiles, if he refused to pay, and why they remained in warehouses for years, Seyran Ohanyan answered, “The supply company imported them to Armenia and unloaded them in the warehouses of the Ministry of Defense. The commission accepted about 30% of that batch, which were suitable, and the Ministry of Defense paid for that 30%. In addition, relevant information is submitted to the government and paid from the government treasury. Weapons are acquired in this way, so when people say we were not aware, the government is certainly aware, especially when talking about large numbers. We did not find it acceptable to accept the remaining 70% in 2011 because there were problems with usability and malfunction. The supplier asked us to keep the missiles in storage, and even if they did not ask, we had no right to give them the missiles until they had a second license to transit the missiles to a third country. It has been taken into consideration so that the supplier can decide their future. Because the missiles were unusable, they may not have been able to obtain that license. The supplier may not have been able to test each missile individually or had the professional capability. The relevant departments should be asked what happened. I was investigated as a witness in the NSS. I explained it, but it was not appropriate for me to name anyone. I did not give names. I explained the general process and how it happens. They have information about who was on the commission and who accepted it. I cannot say anything else due to secrecy.”
Ohanyan ruled out the possibility that the Prime Minister was unaware of such a huge transaction. “Usually, the heads of government have information pertaining to large acquisitions.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
