With their inaction, Armenian law enforcement is legalizing the pillage of the state.

As we’ve stated before, paintings, sculptures, antique carpets and jewellery are vanishing from museums under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture.

No one has been brought to justice. You wonder why Armenian law enforcement immediately becomes paralyzed when such incidents take place. One gets the impression that they have been instructed to fold their hands and not launch criminal charges.

As reported in Hetq, sculptures have been repeatedly stolen from the Armenia’s National Gallery, but no criminal charges have been filed.

No criminal investigation was launched after 8 paintings of Minas Avetisyan vanished from the Exhibition Center. These paintings belong to the Armenian state. What has been stolen belongs to the citizens of Armenia.

Now, let me bring two additional examples of the theft of state property.

Harutyun Hovhannisyan’s graphic works, Ayrivank (registration#2955b) and Zangezur (registration 8880) that were presented to the Ministry of Culture in 2002, have been missing since 2005.

I am bringing this to the attention of RA Prosecutor Genral Aghvan Hovsepyan given that Article 27 (Filing a Claim for the Protection of State Interests) of the “Law on Prosecution”   states:

The filing by a prosecutor of a claim for the protection of state interests shall include:

Filing a claim for compensation of pecuniary damage inflicted upon the state as a direct consequence of a crime in the frameworks of criminal procedure.

Photo: Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan; Chief of Police Vladimir Gasparyan