Yerevan municipality responds to Control Chamber report

Yerevan Municipality has responded to the RA Control Chamber’s report about 2012 violations as well as to accusations made in the National Assembly and the press.

“In view of the results of the Control Chamber’s checks in the municipality and the distorted comments in this connection , particularly the “abuses” during land auctions, we inform you that

1. The report says the auctions were closed, which became a subject of discussions in the National Assembly of Armenia. Under Article 68 part 6 of the RA Land Code, “an auction is held behind closed doors, with the participation of registered persons, the organizer and the recorder”. That is to say, the Yerevan Municipality fulfilled a requirement of the law so various comments in the National Assembly and the press are surprising.

2. The report says that Yerevan Council of Elders transferred the authority to determine the starting price at land auctions to Yerevan mayor so the auctions were described in the press as “Illegal”. Yet the Yerevan Council of Elders – under Article 67 of the RA Land Code and Article 12 of the RA Law on Local Self-Government in the City of Yerevan -

1) approved the annual program of land alienation
2) determined the starting prices for land auctions.

In accordance with the abovementioned decision of Yerevan Council of Elders, the Yerevan mayor announced the starting prices for auctions and the auction conditions envisaged by the law,” is said in the statement of Yerevan Municipality.

“It is obvious from the aforesaid that the accusations against the Yerevan Municipality are without basis and pursue other goals in reality,” the statement reads.