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Recently, the Fact Investigation Platform wrote about the real estate belonging to the acting President of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan, based on the official letter received from the Cadastre Committee. After the publication, Alen Simonyan refuted it publishing a document proving that the property had been sold years ago, after which the Cadastre Committee issued an official clarification stating that the certificate provided to us contained a technical error and that Simonyan had indeed sold his apartment at 62 Abovyan Street in 2016.
Nevertheless, the development of the topic revealed some remarkable details.
In those days, Factor TV took a comment on the Simonyans’ “housing problem” from Alen Simonyan, who, among other things, referred to the house belonging to his brother and mother in Jrvezh, in particular, to the police checkpoint placed in front of it.
“I know that it is foreseen for specially protected persons, defined by law. I can say that they used to stand near my apartment at the time, that’s why they moved here for some time so as not to disturb the residents of the building,” Alen Simonyan told Factor TV (in the video from 07:50).
A similar answer was given on January 12 of this year in response to the inquiry of the Fact Investigation Platform. “According to the Law on Ensuring the Security of Persons Subject to Special State Protection, the Speaker of the National Assembly is a high-ranking official who has been granted state protection in accordance with the above-mentioned law,” the response from the National Assembly stated.
In both cases, Simonyan’s statements are based on the law “On Ensuring the Security of Persons Subject to Special State Protection,” which stipulates that the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the National Assembly enjoy state protection and cannot refuse it.
However, the protection of high-ranking officials (including Alen Simonyan) is provided by the NSS State Protection Service. Meanwhile, the police are on duty near the Simonyans’ Jrvezh private house, while the law on “Police” does not reserve such a function for the latter.
Moreover, the law stipulates that the police also have the function of protecting the buildings and structures of state bodies, organizations, as well as objects of general importance subject to state protection, which is included in the list approved by the government, but the latter does not include the RA President’s residence and private houses.
“Seasonal peculiarities”
The most remarkable, however, is the official explanation of the police about the checkpoint in front of the Simonyans’ private house.
We had asked the police to inform us what service is provided at the mentioned address, since when and for what purpose.
In response, the police informed that according to the order approved by the government, the [patrol] route is organized taking into account the operative situation in the area, as well as the seasonal peculiarities of the given administrative area. Subsequently, according to the location approved by the Kotayk police department, the street where the Simonyans’ private house is located is an additional route, and since January 2021 a stationary checkpoint has been installed there.
By the way, there is no emblem, coat of arms or inscription on the stationary cehckpoint, which would indicate that it has something to do with the police.
It turns out that the police, according to Alen Simonyan, actually control the summer house belonging to the Simonyan family. However, in their response the police do not link the presence of a checkpoint with the need for Alen Simonyan’s protection, instead substantiating it with “operative situation in the area, as well as seasonal features of the administrative area.”
Alen Simonyan, as we mentioned, does not deny that the presence of the police in the area is driven by the fact that he is a high-ranking official. On the other hand, the checkpoint was placed right next to the summer house, a few months after it was acquired by the Simonyan family. It is more remarkable that in January 2021, when the checkpoint was set up, Alen Simonyan was the NA Deputy Speaker and was not under special state protection.
Thus, let us assert that guarding the private house belonging to Alen Simonyan’s family members by the police is already problematic from the legal point of view, as it is not part of the functions of the police. On the other hand, with the official answer, the police actually hides that it ensures Alen Simonyan’s security with the given checkpoint, as Simonyan himself claims.
Sevada Ghazaryan
