Armenia`s authorities to settle issue of public property alienation 

ArmInfo. The Armenian authorities want to settle the issue related to the alienation of  property that had public status in the Soviet era. At the session on  February 26, the RA National Assembly Committee issued a positive  conclusion in the second reading on the amendments to the RA Civil  Code submitted by NA deputies from the ruling Civil Contract faction  Sisak Gabrielyan and Vladimir Vardanyan.

As Sisak Gabrielyan noted in his speech, back in 1991, the Armenian  parliament adopted a law according to which the property of all  public organizations, including creative unions, was recognized as  the property of the Republic of Armenia. However, after gaining  independence, as a result of gaps in the legislation, a number of  objects that had public status (stadiums, cultural facilities and  other state buildings) became the property of legal entities. As a  result, about 80% of these objects were privatized and either new  buildings were built in their place or they remained idle.  Gabrielyan, referring to the data of the Cadastre Committee, reported  that we are talking about 27 thousand real estate objects that  allegedly became the property of non-governmental organizations, but  in fact their real owners became high-ranking officials or members of  their families.

According to legislative amendments, it is envisaged to send written  appeals to the prosecutor's office in each specific case, and based  on the results of the investigation, to return this property to those  legal entities that are directly related to it. For example, the  building of the Union of Artists must serve the artist and cannot be  privatized. 2-3 claims have already been sent to the courts on this  issue.

As for buildings and structures that have not yet been privatized, as  the main speaker noted, their alienation must be with the consent of  2/3 of the members of the supreme governing body of the legal entity.

Gabrielyan assured that the presented document does not set the task  of depriving anyone of property rights. Its main goal is to ensure  that cultural and sports facilities serve their intended purpose.

In turn, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Tigran  Dadunts noted that the government of the country has no objections to  the presented document. He said that all public organizations of the  republic, including creative unions, are required to provide data on  the number of members of these organizations in their reports. The  absence of this data entails administrative liability.