Samvel Limindri Aleksanyan (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

: Սամվել Լիմինդրի Ալեքսանյան; born August 19, 1968,

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

), former deputy of the National Assembly of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, oligarch and

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

Biography

Samvel Aleksanyan was born on August 19, 1968, in

. He attended Yerevan School No. 112 and served in the

Soviet army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

from 1988 to 1990. In 1990 worked as a skilled worker in a factory producing sanitation technologies. In 1993 he was head of a production unit of metal constructions. For the past decade he has had his own business. From 2003-2007 he was a deputy in the NA. He was a member of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs. He was a member of the parliament from the Republican Party that has been in power for almost fifteen years. He is married and has seven children.

Business activity

Although the Armenian Constitution prohibits members of the National Assembly from engaging in business activities, Aleksanyan owns several large companies. In the 2013 "Declaration of Assets by High-Ranking Officials" published by the Ethics Commission of High-Ranking Officials, Aleksanyan declared assets totaling 4,123,000,000 drams, while his wife declared 15,103,450,000 drams in registered property. Some newspapers have questioned these figures, suggesting they are significantly understated. Aleksanyan is also

's "sugar oligarch" who controls the import of this staple. In addition to being one of the largest food importers, he also owns a large supermarket chain. Aleksanyan's economic interests are said to be one of the major obstacles for Carrefour's operations in

. One of the most recent news analyses indicates that "the key concern of Armenian oligarchs is that Carrefour is an importer of some goods and can undermine their monopolies by selling goods at low prices".

"Yerevan City" chain of supermarkets

Aleksanyan owns "Yerevan City" and "Kaiser" supermarket chain, which is considered a subsidiary of the latter. The supermarket chains owned by Samvel Aleksanyan caused the closure of shops and kiosks considered small and medium businesses, as a result of which the level of unemployment and, consequently, poverty in

increased, which in turn affected the increase in emigration of the country's population.

"Vodka" production and false labelling

Aleksanyan is also known for the production of low-quality

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

and the counterfeiting of internationally recognized vodka brands. He allegedly conducts these activities through "A and G" LLC, an unregistered company that has nonetheless received tax benefits from the

Armenian government The Government of the Republic of Armenia () or the executive branch of the Armenian government is an executive council of government ministers in Armenia. It is one of the three main governmental branches of Armenia and is headed by the Prim ...

"Alex Grieg" company

The company "Alex Grig" holds a near-monopoly on the import of essential food products into

, including sugar, butter, oil, and other goods. "Alex Grig" accounts for 99.9% of

's sugar imports. This was confirmed by then-President

Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan (, ; born 30 June 1954)Official biography of Serzh Sargsyan

during a January 29, 2014, meeting with the Armenian community in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, where he reportedly stated, "What do you want, ten people importing sugar in a small country?"

Charities

Aleksanyan is a philanthropist. He is known for charitable work across various sectors, primarily focused on

's Malatia-Sebastia administrative district, which he represented in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. This assistance includes school renovations, equipment purchases, and funding for school events.

Public sentiments

Supporters of converting the Closed Market—a historic building on Yerevan's

Mashtots Avenue Mashtots Avenue ( ''Mashtots'i Poghota''), known as Lenin Avenue until 1990, is an avenue in the central Kentron district of Yerevan, Armenia. The avenue starts with the Victory Bridge at the south and ends up with the Matenadaran museum to th ...

owned by Samvel Aleksanyan—into a "Yerevan City" supermarket rallied in front of the building during renovations. This group of approximately 1,000, led by Robert Aharonyan (a pro-USSR, Russia-oriented activist) and political scientist Suren Surenyants (a former member of the Republican Party), chanted "Aleksanyan, benefactor!" and wore red hats to demonstrate their support.{{Cite web , last= , title=Սուրեն Սուրենյանցը Սամվել Ալեքսանյանից 5000 դոլար է վերցրել' «Փակ շուկայի» համար ցույցեր անելու համար , url=https://www.aravot.am/2014/03/14/440442/ , access-date=2024-11-27 , website= , language=en

References

1968 births Living people People from Yerevan Armenian politicians 21st-century Armenian politicians Members of the National Assembly (Armenia) Politicians from Yerevan