Multi Group employees demand return to work

PanARMENIAN.Net - Employees of several businesses belonging to businessman and Prosperous Armenia Party (PPA) leader Gagik Tsarukyan's Multi Group concern staged simultaneous protests outside their workplaces, urging investigators to remove official seals from the facilities and allow operations to restart, Sputnik Armenia reported.

The demonstrations took place at several company sites, where workers said they had been left without clear information about when production would resume.

“We've been living in uncertainty for a week. No one tells us anything, and we don't know how long this will continue. I want to address the prime minister: we ask, demand and urge you to let people return to work. We all have families to support. We want nothing more than the opportunity to do our jobs,” an employee of the Ararat Brandy, Wine and Vodka Factory in Yerevan said.

According to the workers, they called on investigative authorities to organize procedural actions in a way that would not disrupt production or affect employees unnecessarily.

Factory staff also demanded a clear timeline for when they would be allowed back to work.

“Our only demand is to work. Staying at home solves nothing. We have loans and debts to pay. We don't even have money to buy food for our families, so we've come here asking to be allowed to work,” another participant said.

A separate protest was also held outside the Multi Stone mining and processing plant in the town of Abovyan, where employees made similar demands.

“We want someone to tell us whether these 70 jobs will be restored or not. At least give us hope and say whether it will happen in one day, ten days or later. If the plant won't reopen, then we need to know so everyone can make other plans,” one worker said.

Another employee said that, despite a week having passed, the workforce had received no official explanation from law enforcement authorities. The protesters said they intended to travel to the Investigative Committee's office in Abovyan to seek clarification.

“If we don't get an answer, we may go and block the Yerevan-Sevan highway,” he said.

On July 6, masked special forces officers entered Tsarukyan's residence. Investigative actions were later carried out at a number of his business properties and at the homes of directors of companies belonging to the Multi Group concern. Tsarukyan was detained later that day. He and another individual have been charged with aiding fraud and aiding money laundering. A separate criminal case was also launched over the alleged illegal hunting of wild animals or birds. As part of that investigation, 190 taxidermy specimens of various animals and birds, along with lions and tigers, were seized from Tsarukyan's residence and transferred to Yerevan Zoo as material evidence.