The Investigative Committee of Armenia has completed the pretrial investigation into criminal proceedings concerning the sale of the Black Fortress in Gyumri by former Defense Minister S.S. (Serzh Sargsyan). The case has been forwarded to the supervising prosecutor.

According to the investigation conducted by the General Department for Particularly Important Cases, investigators obtained evidence indicating that on May 11, 2005, former Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan sold the 626.45-square-meter Black Fortress, a historical and cultural monument of national significance, together with the 0.7-hectare plot of land allocated for its use, to a private individual through a direct sale for 22,951,500 drams.

According to the Investigative Committee, the transaction was not consistent with decisions of the Armenian government and was not provided for under those decisions.

The committee stated that the actions caused significant damage to the state's lawful interests through negligence, resulting in serious consequences. Specifically, the state lost ownership of a historical and cultural monument of national significance, and the property was not included in the annexes to Government Decision No. 385-N of March 15, 2007, which approved the list of state-owned historical and cultural monuments not subject to privatization.

During the pretrial investigation, the supervising prosecutor initiated public criminal prosecution against Serzh Sargsyan under Article 441, Part 2, Clause 5 of Armenia's Criminal Code for allegedly abusing official authority or influence derived from his position, or exceeding official powers, resulting through negligence in other grave consequences.

The criminal case, together with the indictment, has been sent to the supervising prosecutor.

Notice: A person charged with a criminal offense is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code and by a final court verdict that has entered into legal force.