Jerusalem’s Arch. Manougian and Fr. Yeretsian Must be Forced to Resign; Subjected to Criminal Investigation; Illegal 99-year lease must be declared ‘Null and Void’
Posted on February. 10. 2022
BY APPO JABARIAN
USA Armenian Life Magazine | Issue #1818
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The writing is on the wall. After several months of rigorous coverage by the free and non-partisan Armenian press such as Canada-based Keghart.org, U.S.-based USA Armenian Life Magazine, AMGA TV, USALM TV, Hye Kiank Armenian Weekly on shady dealings by Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate’s embattled Patriarch Arch. Nourhan Manougian and his ally Patriarchate Real Estate Director Fr. Bared Yeretsian, the world Armenian public opinion has shifted in favor of deepening the ongoing investigation into their potentially criminal activities.
There is also a growing consensus that the Patriarchate duo be subjected to criminal investigation; the illegal 99-year lease of “Goveroun Bardez” (“Cows’ Garden”) large plot of land at the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate be declared null and void.
According to a reliable source within the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate, and real estate experts in East Jerusalem and Mount Zion area, ‘The Goveroun Bardez’ land parcel within the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem can be valued between $27 and $39.74 Billion. For a large land parcel such as ‘Goveroun Bardez’ the annual lease income should range around $200 million if approved by the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate and Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s governing body St. James Brotherhood General Assembly (“Miapanagan Joghov” “Brotherhood General Assembly”).
The Australian millionaire Dany Rubenstein can lose all his illegal ‘investments.’ Many have asserted that, in his attempt to secure a 99-year lease, “Mr. Rubenstein got involved in an illegal deal where he secretly transferred money to the purported wrongdoers – Patriarch Arch. Nourhan Manougian and his ally Patriarchate Real Estate Director Fr. Bared Yeretsian.”
Under penal codes of several nations, including United States, “it is illegal to buy or receive stolen property. … You can also be charged with receiving stolen property if you knew the property was stolen and concealed, sold, or withheld property from the owner or aided in concealing, selling or withholding property from the owner.”
Mr. Rubenstein has been wittingly or unwittingly trying to “buy or receive stolen property” which in this case is the highly suspicious and controversial 99-year lease of “Goveroun Bardez” (“Cows’ Garden”) land parcel at the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate.
What makes the entire process and the ensuing deal illegal, is the fact that the proposed lease terms were never discussed, evaluated and voted on by the “Miapanagan Joghov” (St. James Brotherhood General Assembly).
What qualifies the proposed 99-year lease as “stolen property” is the fact that the shady deal never went through the legal process of being voted on by St. James Brotherhood General Assembly. Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate By-Laws stipulates that “any long-term lease above 25-year term till 49 years, must be subjected to scrutiny and vote by St. James Brotherhood General Assembly. 99-years lease isn’t legal at all because the constitution of the Patriarchate accepts to lease lands between 1-25 (approved by the Synod- Dnoren Joghov) or 25-49 years (approved by the General Assembly),” as underlined by an expert observer in Jerusalem.
What renders the proposed 99-year lease as “illegal, null and void” is the fact that — Arch. Manougian and his ally Fr. Yeretsian went beyond their authority and violated the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate constitution by obstructing due process implemented by the St. James Brotherhood General Assembly.
According to international legal experts, the Armenian community and nation should be careful not to fall in any legal trap. The Armenian nation should not care as to how much money has been secretly transferred by Mr. Rubenstein to the culprits, the unauthorized party — Arch. Manougian and his ally Fr. Yeretsian. The Armenian nation shouldn’t claim any funds illegally changing hands between a corrupted investor and unauthorized ‘representatives’ of the Patriarchate.
Recovering his funds that were covertly transferred to Arch. Manougian and Fr. Yeretsian is Mr. Rubenstein’s duty. If he was attempting to ‘buy’ at a discount or otherwise, a stolen property (illegal 99-year lease) from suspected thieves (Arch. Manougian and Fr. Yeretsian) and when the property (illegal 99-yr. lease) is confiscated by the legal authorities (Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate’s and Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s governing body St. James Brotherhood General Assembly) he loses his ‘investment.’
‘PRESSURE’ BY ISRAELI GOVERNMENT?
Reportedly both the Jerusalem Patriarch and his accomplice Patriarchate Real Estate Director have been going around town in Israel/Palestine/Jordan and around the world, whispering into Armenian ears that “it is under pressure from the Israeli government that they are giving in and making these long-term lease agreements ‘against’ their own will.”
But in reality, they are literally lying to Armenians in order to silence them by planting fear in them fraudulently claiming “the Israeli government will come after them if they speak up.” And the duo is making these false claims in order to cover up their scandalous, self-serving dealings.
Both the Patriarch and his accomplice Fr. Yeretsian do not realize that many Armenians are well-informed and know too well that the Israeli government is not really interested in making enemies out of the world Armenians by Judaizing East Jerusalem which includes the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.
Armenians in Diaspora, Armenia and Israel/Palestine/Gaza/Jordan strongly feel that it is the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate General Assembly’s fiduciary duty to convene in earnest and
1) Declare the proposed 99-year lease agreement as “STOLEN PROPERTY” because of the fact that the proposed shady deal never went through the legal process of being debated, evaluated and voted on by the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate’s St. James Brotherhood General Assembly. Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate By-Laws stipulates that any long-term lease above 25 years must be subjected to scrutiny and vote by Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate St. James Brotherhood General Assembly;
2) Declare the 99-year lease agreement “ILLEGAL” as it was illegally and secretly negotiated by the two corrupted church leaders without submitting to the legal process under the General Assembly;
3) Declare the 99-year lease agreement “NULL AND VOID” because Arch. Manougian and Fr. Yeretsian violated the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate St. James Brotherhood constitution by obstructing due process to be implemented by the General Assembly;
4) Collaborate with Diaspora and Armenia to establish a Pan-Armenian Investigation Commission that should conduct a criminal investigation into the “Goveroun Bardez” affair and other shady deals carried out by the so-called Patriarchate Duo — Arch. Manougian and Fr. Yeretsian;
5) Force the resignation of the duo by strip both Arch. Manougian and Fr. Yeretsian from their titles as ‘Patriarch’ and ‘Real Estate Director;’ Surrender the findings to the Religious Council for defrocking both culprits and returning them to civilian status. After defrocking, they should be subjected to criminal prosecution and be held responsible for all their nefarious and treasonous acts against the Armenian nation.
Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem have outlived many wars and empires including the Turkish Ottoman Empire and the British Empire. They were in existence long before many states were created in the post-Ottoman period and space of the Middle East.
Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem are considered as national treasures for world Armenians. Both have long been in the care of Armenian nation and will continue to be, long after Arch. Nourhan Manougian and Fr. Bared Yeretsian are gone.
In the same token the global Armenian nation which owns all things Armenian, including Armenian patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Armenian patriarchate of Constantinople, the Armenian Apostolic Church with its two branches – The Holy See of Etchmiadzin and The See of Great House of Cilicia, reserves the right to step in whenever and wherever it becomes necessary.