In the result of the “conflict” involving the coffee-importing Royal Armenia company and the customs service charges were brought against the heads of the company Gagik Hakobyan and Aram Ghazaryan on articles 178, 325, 215, 190, 205. In the beginning, the representatives of the organization stated it was a put-up job. Gagik Hakobyan and Aram Ghazaryan have been detained for 16 months now. The investigation finished 4 months ago, but the court has not heard the case yet. The hearing will start February 15. Over this period the representatives of the company, who are in freedom, have held three news conferences and repeated for a number of times that the case had been put up. On February 12 the director of the Royal Armenia Company Tony El-Labaki, the company’s lawyer Gevorg Minasyan, the attorney of the detained heads of the company Ashot Sargsyan held the fourth news conference. Member of Parliament Tatul Manaseryan joined them.

It is a scheme, the accusation and the evidence are inconsistent, Tatul Manaseryan said. Ashot Sargsyan said the case had been ordered, Mnatsakan Marukyan, an investigator of the National Security Service “accepted the order”. Gevorg Minasyan thinks the persons who investigated the case are bandits. The logic of the other evaluations were similar. They think this is pressure on Royal Armenia because the representatives of this company say Gagik Hakobyan was the first to state that the customs service is corrupt, they refused to give bribe and denounced the deputy chief of the customs office Gagik Khachatryan. Recently Member of Parliament Khachatur Sukiasyan has also stated about Gagik Khachatryan’s considerable contribution to corruption in the customs committee. According to the information Royal Armenia got, Gagik Khachatryan has interest in another coffee-importing company. This information made Royal Armenia conclude: “This act of coercion is intended to oust Royal Armenia from the market and exterminate them (i.e. the detained persons) physically.”

In the Royal Armenia Company they think the case was forged so hastily that an absurd situation has occurred. For instance, it is reflected in the documents that Royal Armenia imported products of 5 million drams, whereas it is accused of smuggling goods of 140 million drams. Or it becomes known from the investigator that Royal Armenia owes to its partner, the American FIG Company, 164 thousand, then 380 thousand, then 1 million and finally 2 million dollars. “The U.S. tax administration is the most rigid, and 2 million would be discovered there. But it is not there. Besides, what company is it that the deficit of 2 million dollars is not reflected on its balance?” Ashot Sargsyan and Tatul Manaseryan wonder. Ashot Sargsyan also informed that during the investigation a lot of materials were not accessible, and when the defender presented solicitation on one nonsensical detail or another, Vacheh Bedrosyan, the plaintiff, gave additional evidence and tried to correct, which was not always successful. In the beginning Vacheh Petrosyan was the plaintiff, then the FIG company. Meanwhile, Vacheh Bedrosyan is not related to FIG, his son and wife work for this company. The representatives of Royal Armenia stated that Vacheh Bedrosyan “was used, and his state will be difficult, despite the outcome of the case of our partners, and despite how long the National Security will be backing him.” The accusations are based on the invoices provided by Vacheh Bedrosyan, however, there are no originals, all are copies.

Gagik Hakobyan and Aram Ghazaryan were charged with forging invoices, whereas the invoice is not necessary for customs clearance, hence, they did not need to forge the invoices. Charges of money laundering were brought under Article 190 of the Criminal Code, the crime was alleged to have been committed before 2001. In Armenia, money laundering is punished from 2003, and according to the Constitution, statutes do not have retrospective force. Royal Armenia is hopeful that the inconsistency will be exposed in the court.

The representatives of the company stated that Royal Armenia is in the focus of attention of the Customs Service. If other coffee importing companies pay 1.1 dollar for one kg, for Royal Armenia the customs duty is 1.8 dollar.

They also stated that Robert Kocharyan was informed about this case, but the information did not reflect the reality.