Pashinian pledged to “quickly” nationalize the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) company on June 18 hours after Karapetian, was arrested following his strong criticism of the premier’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Armenian parliament approved on July 2 a bill allowing the authorities to “temporarily” take over ENA’s management before nationalizing the company or changing its owner.
Karapetian’s Tashir Group launched arbitration proceedings in Stockholm later in July as the government began enforcing the controversial law through the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC), a supposedly independent body headed by a political ally of Pashinian.
In an interim win for Karapetian, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC) ordered the government shortly afterwards to refrain from confiscating ENA from Tashir, changing ENA’s top management or revoking its parent company’s operating license pending a verdict in the case. The government and the PSRC refused, however, to reverse their decisions to replace the top company executives.
It emerged a month ago that the government’s chief lawyer representing Armenia in international courts, Liparit Drmeyan, sent a letter to the PSRC warning that the authorities in Yerevan have to comply with the SCC order.
“I am the government ... no one can have a position that contradicts my position,” Pashinian told reporters on August 28 when asked about that letter.
The government announced Drmeyan’s dismissal the next morning. The former official stood by his view on ENA’s seizure in an interview with journalist Vahe Makarian published on Wednesday.
“I acted solely from a position of professionalism,” insisted Drmeyan.
Justice Minister Srbuhi Galian made clear, meanwhile, that the authorities in Yerevan will continue to ignore the SCC injunction.
“The international arbitration body essentially tried to force us not to enforce an existing [Armenian] law, something which we cannot do because doing so would simply mean going against public order,” Galian told journalists.
Karapetian’s representatives say this stance is only increasing Tashir’s chances of winning the international lawsuit against the government. The tycoon’s conglomerate headquartered in Moscow is seeking $500 million in damages for what it calls an illegal “expropriation” of its biggest asset in Armenia.