FAMILY OF KHACHATUR SUKIASIAN STOPS OPERATION OF "BJNI" MINERAL WATERS PLANT AND INTENDS TO STRUGGLE AGAINST DECISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE COURT

Noyan Tapan
Oct 28, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The management of "Bjni" mineral
waters plant owned by the family of Khachatur Sukiasian, a National
Assembly deputy who is wanted by police in connection with the March
1 events in Yerevan, made a decision to "stop the production due to
the impossibility of further activity".

According to information of the RA Justice Ministry’s Service
on Compulsory Execution of Court Acts, on October 17 the service
received an act of execution from the RA State Revenue Committee with
the demand to confiscate, under a decision of the RA Administrative
Court, 4 billion 67 million 201 thousand 600 drams (over 13 million
dollars) from "Bjni" Mineral Waters Plant CJSC and transfer this sum
to the state budget. On October 21 employees of the service went to
"Bjni" plant, made an inventory and seized the real estate. According
to the same source, this action "proceeded from the law and aimed to
prevent the possible alienation of the property".

NT was informed by Anna Mkrtchian, spokeswoman for SIL Concern owned
by the Sukiasians, that they will "use all legal means to struggle
against the decision and process".

To recap, on October 21, 2007, NA deputy Khachatur Sukiasian announced
his support for the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian. A
month later the State Tax Service started checks at "Bjni" plant,
as a result a report was drawn up, according to which the water
meter for measuring the volumes of mineral water used by the plant
for its production had not been properly installed. According to
press reports, the water meter was sealed by an inspector of the RA
Ministry of Nature Protection, and no violations with respect to the
water meter were revealed during the checks in 2005-2006.

However, after this year’s check, a report on violations has been
drawn up.