Serop Der-Boghossian’s Wife Demands 1 Lima from Entrepreneur for Defamation

Madeline Tashjian, the wife of Serop Der-Boghossian, on Monday appealed to the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts, demanding that entrepreneur Silva Hambardzumyan publish a retraction in the press and then pay her 1 luma (1/100th of an Armenian dram, less than a penny) as compensation for damages.

Asked by local daily Joghovurd, why she appealed to the court with a demand of only 1 luma, “unlike, for example, attorneys or oligarchs who ask for 6 or 18 million drams [$15,609 or $46,826 USD] for insult and defamation, Madeline said, ‘The money doesn’t interest me’,” the newspaper writes.

As reported by local media, last week Silva Hambardzumyan had said that Madeline Tashjian “could tell you a lot about 1999.” Tashjian refuted the statement, adding that she doesn’t even know Silva Hambardzumyan.

Recall, Hambardzumyan’s Sipon 1 gold company had its license revoked by the energy minister who then called an auction. The gold mine was sold to Sagamar CJSC, one of the shares of which belonged to then adviser to the prime minister Serop Der-Boghossian, the Armenian-American businessman since accused of sexual abuse of minors.