WILL FUEL OIL ISSUE ACTIVISTS BE PROSECUTED?

Lragir
Sept 4 2007
Armenia

On September 4 Hrant Bagratyan and Shavarsh Kocharyan had an
interesting debate at the Hayeli club. In evaluating the country’s
economy they had a retrospective look at the period when Hrant
Bagratyan was government, and Shavarsh Kocharyan was radical
opposition. And it started when Hrant Bagratyan said with regard to
the low rate and wrong track for development that one of the reasons
was that the government attended to other problems, criticizing the
former leadership, bringing up the case of fuel oil.

Hrant Bagratyan said the case of fuel oil turned to have been put
up, they could not prove, but they did not apologize to the former
leadership either. Although, Bagratyan said when the office of
prosecutor found out that the case of fuel oil was put up, one of the
activists of the case Arshak Sadoyan apologized, and Bagratyan could
offer it in written form. Generally, the ex-prime minister of Armenia
thinks everyone who has initiated this case should be responsible.

Shavarsh Kocharyan said usually the thief is punished and not the
person who reveals the theft. Hrant Bagratyan retorted that Shavarsh
Kocharyan is playing a political game, and he is not a thief. "It’s
your indices, it was under your government when they brought up the
question of reserves in the years of energy crisis which would be
enough to supply electricity. Where did it all disappear?" Shavarsh
Kocharyan asked.

Hrant Bagratyan explained what happened regarding energy generation
in those years. "In 1992-1993 5-6 billion kWh energy was generated.

6.5 billion was generated since 1996. I was prime minister from 1995
for two years, there was 24 hour power supply after that. What is the
problem? The problem is that not only the electricity balance should
be viewed. The energy balance should also be viewed," Hrant Bagratyan
says. He adds that electricity, central heating, diesel fuel and the
number of heated apartments should be taken into consideration. Hrant
Bagratyan also said the question of fuel oil should be dismissed
because in the years of energy crisis electricity was generated on
gas. Hrant Bagratyan repeated that all the people who brought up the
case of fuel oil should be responsible.