22 MILLION OUT OF NEEDED 25 MILLION DOLLARS RAISED DUING MARATHON FOR PROTECTION OF GALA COMPANY: A FEW HOURS REMAIN UNTIL DEADLINE

Noyan Tapan
March 24, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. By information at 1 p.m. March 24, a
total of 22 mln 200 thousand drams was collected during the fund-rasing
TV marathon for protection of Gala television company, NT correspondent
was informed by Levon Barseghian, coordinator of the headquarters on
protection of Gala TV company, chairman of the council of "Asparez"
club of journalists. Under the decision of the RA administrative court,
Gala has to pay 25 mln 166 thousand 700 drams, and a 5% additional
sum because the side to have lost the court dispute, namely CHAP LLC,
did not pay the required sum to the state budget immediately, and the
tax service applied to the body on compulsory execution of court acts
(CECA) with the request to intevene.

Besides, the court imposed court expenditures of 500 thousand drams
to be paid by CHAP.

The CECA took 15,021,500 drams of the above mentioned sum on March 21.

According to L. Barseghian, it is envisaged that CECA emloyees will
go to the television company on March 24, at 4 p.m. in order to get
the remaining money.

Contributions for protection of Gala television compamy were made by
"Shrjapat" and "Hingshabti" dailies (Gyumri), "Lori" television company
(Vanadzor), another TV company from Lori marz, "Aravot" daily, "Hetq"
electronic magazine, "168 hours" newspaper, ALM television company,
as well as "Demo" newspaper and Karabakh-open.com webiste from the
NKR. More than 30 reporters from Gyumri, Yerevan, Vanadzor and the
NKR participated in fund raising.

On the initiative of Gala company and the headquarters on protection
of speech freedom and Gala television company, a television marathon
was launched on March 10 at 9 a.m. in order to collect "the sum "drawn"
by the tax body, pay it to the state budget, in this way to retain the
broadcasting licence and continue disputing this decision in Armenian
and European courts, including the demand for full compensation of
the damage done to the television company and the fund".