Bilked Homeowners Say They Know Why Their Case is Still Unresolved (PHOTOS)

“It’s been a few months already that we’ve been waiting hopefully that our attorneys, the authorities, the government will find a solution to getting us out of this situation. The crime is more than overt, but no one is doing anything literally. All those who entered the kitchen definitely dipped their hands in the honey. Whoever came to check obligatorily took a few apartments and stepped aside,” Sona Maghakyan, one of the protesting homeowners outside the president’s residence today, informed Epress.am, referring to officials who were assigned to help them but, protestors say, have been bribed with apartments not to pursue their case.

Recall, in 2006, homeowners of apartments on Aram, Buzand, Yekmalyan and Saryan streets signed a contract with developing company Gapbnakshin, agreeing to leave their homes on the condition that they would be given apartments in new buildings to be constructed in the same area. However, not only did they not receive their new apartments, but also their units were resold to other parties (sometimes not once, but twice).

Maghakyan is confident that head of the presidential oversight (control) service Hovhannes Hovsepyan walked away with the biggest loot.

“In February and March, based on residents’ complaints, Hovsepyan inspected Gabbnakshin Ltd. and after the inspections, by a very mysterious coincidence, appealing to the Court of General Jurisdiction of Nork-Marash [Administrative District] in April, he received in May 8 court rulings at once, for 24 apartments, 1 business area and 27 garages — property valued at $5 million overall,” she said.

The homeowners through their own means discovered the identity of those who received the apartments.

“Of the apartments on the list, 2 are in Hovsepyan’s name, 3 in his wife Evelina Mirzabekyan’s name, 3 in his wife’s sister Gayane Mirzabekyan’s name, 3 in his sister Jenny Hovsepyan’s name and 3 in his son-in-law Robert Manukyan’s name. Then the list continues with a certain Mher Bisharyan and Hovsepyan’s entire family — youth and adults alike,” she said.

The protesting homeowners are sure that all the apartments were acquired by being backdated.

“The notary is Alvard Melkonyan, who described those figures. Even a semiliterate expert, checking these documents, will see the big cluster of crimes,” said Maghakyan, adding that she has no doubt that the president’s oversight service is working not toward uncovering the crimes but to get its piece of the pie. In her opinion, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has a task before him and that is to dismiss such officials from their posts, so that neither the country stands before such a serious situation nor he finds himself in a shameful one.

Homeowners say they can pin their hopes only on god and ask for a president who will think about the common people and not the ruling elite.