"However, this incident can not become a reason for me to get disappointed and leave my country." Narek Hartunyan

What took place, in the past five days, with president of the Narekatsi Art Union and G. H. Storage Enterprise Company’s director, Narek Hartunyan, is conditioned on the malignity and greed to make money by some people who want to snatch his property, Hartunyan himself stated during a press conference on Thursday. 

In his words, a 110-million-dram (approx. US$ 282,946) tax act is absurd and, if it were fair, they would have gladly paid it. Narek Hartunyan also noted that they did not pursue profits in Armenia, but rather solely made investments “for patriotic motives.” “They merely want for me to give in to pressure so they may seize my property,” Hartunyan stressed.   

"However, this incident can not become a reason for me to get disappointed and leave my country," said Narek Hartunyan. 

In his turn, human rights advocate Lernik Hovhannisyan, who is dealing with Narek Hartunyan’s case, stated there are no grounds and calculations behind the amount they demand from Hartunyan to pay to the state budget. “No amount, whose basis has no calculation, is subject for payment,” Hovhannisyan concluded.   

To recall, G. H. Storage Enterprise Company’s director Narek Hartunyan and accountant Artur Galstyan are charged with tax evasion and legalizing the proceeds received through criminal methods, while the Company’s assistant director Ani Mnatsakanyan is charged with abetting to tax evasion; they were taken under custody. But their restraining order was commuted Tuesday, and subsequently they were released.