On November 7 RA Administrative Court of Appeal released the ruling on the dispute between Levon Barseghian, Board Chairman of “Asparez” Journalists’ Club of Gyumri, and RA State Revenue Committee.
The reason for the two-year litigation became the inquiry of Levon Barseghian made on January 18, 2010 for providing information on the 2009 summing up event of the State Revenue Committee, and on the awards of 20 expensive hand watches to the staff members. Approximately 50 mln AMD (about $140,000) was spent on all this. The Head of “Asparez”, particularly, demanded the list of artists who had participated in the event, the list of the awardees and other data, which can ground the amount spent.
The State Revenue Committee refused to grant information, namely after Levon Barseghian had lodged a suit at the RA Administrative Court. On July 1, 2010 the Court revoked the suit, considering that the State Revenue Committee had not violated the RA Law “On Freedom of Information”.
The plaintiff contested this decision at the RA Court of Cassation, which on December 27, 2010 annulled the ruling of the court of general jurisdiction and sent the case for new consideration by the same court.
On June 22, 2011 the Administrative Court resolved to bind the Committee to provide with the information requested by Levon Barseghian and to exact 24,000 AMD as a compensation for state duty, paid by the claimant. This decision was contested by the State Revenue Committee at the RA Administrative Court of Appeal.
On November 7 the Administrative Court of Appeal secured the complaint of the State Revenue Committee partially, ruling to provide the plaintiff with only the part of information – on the awarded employees, and compensate his court expenses of 7,000 AMD.
The Head of “Asparez” Levon Barseghian announced about his intention to go to the Court of Cassation.
