Arshak Banuchyan has been ousted
Arshak Banuchyan, assistant director of the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Armenian Manuscripts, has been ousted from office because of staff reduction.
Matenadaran's Director Hrachya Tamrazyan says no one has been fired, Arshak Banuchyan has been placed to another position according to his decision.
Arshak Banuchyan says after he was made redundant he was offered a job in another department and he accepted it. "The new post is connected with my profession," said Banuchyan.
In reply to A1+ whether the reduction is politically motivated, Mr. Banuchyan said: "As I take all my decisions and am responsible for my steps let me refrain from comments. Surely, if someone is engaged in politics everything connected with him is politicized, even the legal proceedings. But I iterate that I don't want to interpret the reduction or its motives."
Remind that Arshak Banuchyan is charged under Article 205 of the Armenian Criminal Code (money squandering) and Article 179 (evasion of taxes).
Banuchyan has allegedly transferred money to publish a journal dedicated to a sitting of the Institute's Board of Trustees. The journal didn't come out as the President of the Board, Catholicos of All Armenians announced the sitting cancelled.
During the Presidential election of 2009 Arshak Banuchyan was presidential contender Levon Ter-Petrosyan's representative in Vayots Dzor.
