Epress.am News from Armenia
Former director of Kapan's abattoir, Albert Ohanjanyan, accused of supplying the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army with buffalo meat instead of beef compensated for the harm inflicted on the army by building a 50-ton-capacity refrigerated complex valued at 73,362,390 AMD (about $180,000 USD). RA Ministry of Defense investigative service senior officer Mary Sargsyan conveyed this news to Pastinfo.am [AM], adding that Ohanjanyan built the complex at his own expense.
The preliminary investigation into the discovery of buffalo meat is in its final stage, though the criminal case hasn't yet been sent to court. Ohanjanyan is accused of large-scale fraud.
In May 2012, the initiative "No to Injustice in the Army" sent an open letter to the Armenian president and defense minister, as well as several other officials, urging them to investigate the supply of frozen buffalo meat from India supplied to military units.
Criminal proceedings regarding violations in the central food warehouse of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army were launched in August 2012, and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Arshaluys Paytyan, who was coordinating matters related to purchasing and supply, was sacked.
At an Armenian government meeting in September 2012, the list of companies importing buffalo meat into Armenia was made public, and the Armenian prime minister said he has nothing to do with the imports. The largest importer is Alex Grig, a company belonging to Republican Party of Armenia MP, businessman Samvel Aleksanyan.