Defence Ministry has no connection, says Arsenian
The parliamentary commission looking into the events of March 1-2 today hosted presentation of its members' findings after yesterday's visit to the Defence Ministry's depots.
"Rear Services of the Defence Ministry had no connection with last year's disorders in downtown Yerevan," NA Ad-Hoc Commission member Gurgen Arsenian announced today.
As previously reported Seda Safaryan and Andranik Kocharyan, opposition representatives of the Fact-Finding Group inquiring into the events of March 1-2, 2008, revealed in their report at the parliamentary session that officer uniforms and hats were distributed to oligarchs from the Ministry of Defence's warehouse. They stated that people participating in last year's barbaric acts were wearing those uniforms.
The parliamentary commission yesterday sent three commission members - Gurgen Arsenian, Artyusha Shahbazian and Aram Harutyunian - to the Defence Ministry's warehouse to verify the information.
The group checked and copied registration books and other documents.
In Arsenian's words, some items, mostly towels and beds, were removed from the warehouse only on February 24 and March 4. He said that no uniforms were provided to oligarchs' guards.
Only commission member Aram Karapetian believes that the uniforms were given to oligarchs' skinheads and confirms the findings of the Fact-Finding Group.
"Who says that the commission members were shown the right registries? There might be 2-3 registries concealing the bloody bargains," says Mr. Karapetian.
