Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with corresponding bodies in Berlin to clarify the credibility of allegations made in the German media about the activities of the Armenian mafia in Germany, a deputy minister said in Yerevan on Tuesday.
According to a joint investigation carried out by Der Spiegel and the MDR TV and Radio Company, for three years, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, together with the land police departments, has been conducting a classified operation to search for and detain representatives of the Armenian mafia. The Federal Intelligence Service and Europol have helped the criminal investigation officers of Germany in the investigation.
However, the Federal Criminal Police Office recommended that investigators do not accept the assistance of the diplomatic mission of Armenia in Germany, since the investigators do not rule out links between so-called ‘thieves in law’ and representatives of the state structures of Armenia.
The authors of the investigative report also note that as a result of the large-scale operation codenamed FATIL (Fight Against Thieves In Law) that involved a number of special services, the law-enforcement authorities established that Armenian mafia groups have developed “deep roots” and created a “strong network” in Germany, but the suspects could not be detained due to insufficient evidence.
The leading German media outlets report that last March Armenian Ambassador to Germany Ashot Smbatian offered official Yerevan’s assistance in detecting Armenian criminal groups in connection with a 2014 shootout between two criminal clans in Erfurt, Thuringia.
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, however, advised colleagues in a secret report against cooperating with Armenian authorities, citing “possible fusion” between Armenian authorities and mafia groups, according to Der Spiegel.
According to the media, in particular, the law-enforcement authorities in Germany suspected that the ambassador, who was appointed in 2015 by the decree of the then Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, had links with criminal groups, but no evidence supporting these suspicions was found.
Smbatian, who last week was appointed also to the post of Armenia’s ambassador to Liechtenstein, combining these new duties with his current diplomatic post, categorically denied the latest allegations, describing them as absurd.
No issue of recalling Armenia’s ambassador from Germany is being considered now, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Tuesday when asked to comment on the reports in the German media.
“We have sent an enquiry. It concerns very delicate issues, in particular, the activities of our diplomatic mission and the reputation of its head. I cannot say more at this stage. Let’s wait for the results. I cannot provide any additional information,” said Nazarian.
“These are certain allegations made in the media. I don’t think that we should take steps based on media reports,” he added.
Earlier today Nazarian appeared in front of the Armenian National Assembly’s standing committee that also deals with European integration affairs. He was asked by the committee’s chair Gagik Minasian to comment on the media publications in Germany “alleging activities of Armenian mafia groups” in the country.
“We are in contact with corresponding German bodies to clarify the credibility of the allegations that were made in the media… Taking into account the delicate nature of the issue and its potential impact on the work of our diplomatic mission, at this point we do not find it appropriate to say more or give any additional comment. We will provide additional information based on the results,” Nazarian said.