Prosecutor’s office releases details about detention of former head of pension fund

YEREVAN, September 28. / ARKA /. Armenian Prosecutor General's Office released the details regarding the detention of former head of the State Social Security Service (Pension Fund) Vazgen Khachikian.

It said in a press release that Khachikian is accused of committing large scale fraud, large-scale embezzlement by an organized group and forgery. The Prosecutor General's Office said it will petition the court to allow placing Khachikian in custody.

The authorities have arrested today two other senior officials of the Pension Fund- Hovhannes Grigoryan and Ashot Abrahamyan, who are charged with committing large-scale fraud and forgery.

Vazgen Khachikian was sacked by Prime Minister Sarkisian in 2010 December. The government did not say what was the reason, but stories in the Armenian media said the dismissal followed a long string of breaches revealed by the Audit Chamber in the agency, responsible for retirement pensions and social allowances after an examination.

In another inspection the ministry of finance also revealed a host of blatant violations in it. In particular, it was found that about 60,000 people who died or left Armenia for a long time, continued to receive pensions. A relating case now under way involves about 20 former officials of the Pension Fund. -0-