TELETHON HELD IN ARMENIA TO RAISE FUNDS FOR REGIONAL TV STATION

Kavkazskiy Uzel
March 25, 2008
Russia

A telethon was held in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri on 24
March to raise funds for the local TV company Gala which was fined
more than 25m drams (84,000 dollars) for tax evasion, the Russian
website Kavkazskiy Uzel has quoted the headquarters to protect Gala
TV as saying.

Almost 24m drams were raised by the morning of 25 March, the website
said. The TV company also has to cover legal expenses and pay another
fine to the department for the implementation of court decisions
because the fine was not paid immediately.

However, the head of the Gyumri press club, Levon Barsegyan, said
that money sent from abroad was not reaching its recipient, Kavkazskiy
Uzel said. Banks in Yerevan are not accepting money for the company,
which shows that the authorities have decided to interfere in this
matter, Kavkazskiy Uzel quoted him as saying.

The Armenian tax authorities began inspections at the TV company
in November 2007 after Gala TV broadcast opposition leader Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s address to a rally on 26 October. A court fined
the company on 19 March following a suit filed by the city’s tax
inspectorate, the website said.

If the TV company fails to pay the fine, its property will go under
the hammer and its licence will be revoked.

In this situation, the head of the Gyumri press club, Levon Barsegyan,
and Gala TV director Vahan Khachatryan set up the headquarters to
raise funds for the TV company.

Kavkazskiy Uzel said that money was being donated not just by the
audience of the channel, but also from other regions of Armenia,
including the capital Yerevan, and by central and regional media.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress