Transparency International Anti-corruption Center (TIAC) has repeatedly voiced the issue of destruction and/or damage of historical and cultural monuments in Yerevan City and required the guilty to be held liable. Moreover, the facts cited by TIAC are documented by the Prosecutor Generals Office and are posted on its official website. However, RA Prosecutor Generals Office and RA Police have often given contradictory answers in reply to TIAC inquiries since 2009. In view of the existing situation regarding destruction and/or damage of historical and cultural monuments in Yerevan City, TIAC once again applied to RA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan, requesting to provide information on the following issues:

- in which of the state bodies work were shortcomings, omissions, breaches disclosed?

- which bodies liable for the situation in and protection of the field, were sent motions by law enforcement bodies, particularly by the Prosecutors Office, to eliminate breaches?

- what measures were taken by them in order to remove the current shortcomings or to eliminate the breaches?

- who was held liable for destruction of each specific monument-building, what disciplinary, administrative or criminal measures or means to held the person liable were applied?

It should be reminded that, based on TIAC report, filed on August 20, 2011, Yerevan city department of investigations central division of RA Police general department of investigations, substantiating the mentioned facts on crime, made a decision on "refusing to institute criminal case." According to it, "it was clarified and substantiated that by the assignment of RA Prosecutor General detailed studies and inspections were carried out in the entire territory of Armenia. All the shortcomings and breaches in that field were disclosed by special purpose groups, final legal assessments were given, in particular materials were prepared, criminal cases and administrative proceeding were initiated on the breaches committed by competent bodies both in Yerevan City and in all provinces of Yerevan. As a result of the mentioned work a number of citizens and responsible office holders were held liablePursuant to RA Criminal Procedure Code article 35, part 1, para. 7, criminal case cannot be instituted as circumstance excluding criminal prosecution if court has already passed a judgment against the person and such judgment has entered into legal force"

Earlier, in reply to TIAC inquiry based on the same facts and the same grounds addressed to the Prosecutor General, a reference of state interests protection department of RA Prosecutor Generals Office was submitted. In line with the reference, "The actions of Yerevan Mayor and the officials in authorized state bodies of historical and cultural monuments protection did not have any grounds for criminal liability envisaged by RA Criminal Code. Therefore, no criminal cases were initiated."

It turns out that two law enforcement bodies, citing the same facts gave quite different answers. Thus in one case on the grounds of having given legal assessment to the officials actions and having held them liable criminal case was not initiated, whereas in the other case any grounds for breaches of law in the actions of officials were refuted. It is obvious that in such a case assessments of facts cannot be reliable, since the same Prosecutors Office recorded destruction of 29 historical and cultural monuments by breaking the prescribed manner. Whereas according to TIAC studies only in Yerevan City from 2000 to present at least 25 buildings were destructed and destroyed.