Epress.am News from Armenia
Entrepreneur Silva Hambardzumyan is pleased that Syunik marzpet (regional governor) Surik Khachatryan has publicly apologized; however, she will continue the fight against him, said Hambardzumyan herself at a press conference in Yerevan today.
“I haven’t physically suffered from the attack. What we’re talking about is dignity,” said the entrepreneur, who in her testimony wrote that she didn’t receive bodily injuries from Khachatryan’s slap and that she refused a medical report.
Recall, the investigation concluded that a slap on the face isn’t a crime as the governor’s action didn’t contain elements of what is referred to as “battery” in Armenia’s Criminal Code.
According to Hambardzumyan, Khachatryan was spared because of the upcoming elections, for which she too intends to submit her candidacy. “Where he submits his parliamentary candidacy, I will submit mine in the same place.”
Hambardzumyan asserted that one time she was offered ministerial portfolios but she refused and now she has no desire to enter into politics.
The drama between the pair became public on Nov. 10, when Hambardzumyan charged that a mining company owned by Khachatryan misappropriated mining equipment worth more than 100 million drams ($265,000 USD) from a mine belonging to her. Then, at a Nov. 14 press conference, Hambardzumyan said that she was attacked by Khachatryan as she was leaving a Yerevan hotel. Armenia’s Special Investigative Service looked into the matter and determined no crime was committed, thereby dismissing the case.