GROSS MISUSE OF ARMENIAN SCHOOL FUNDS BY ADL-TCA?
Posted on December. 16. 2023
MEDIA INQUIRY No. 2 addressed to Armenian Democratic League-Ramgavar (ADL) and its cultural arm, Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) and all the TCA/ADL-owned media outlets
Monday December 11, 2023
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, An ADL Publication
Baikar Association, Inc.
755 Mt. Auburn St.
Watertown, MA 02472-1509
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator Editor: Alin K. Gregorian
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator Managing Editor: Aram Arkun
Nor Or Weekly, the official organ of Armenian Democratic League -Ramgavar (ADL-Rag) and its cultural arm, Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA)
Altadena, California
Nor Or Weekly Editor: Anahit Koshkarian
Nor Or Weekly Senior Contributors:
Khachik Janoyan Hagop Mardirossian, Sarkis Y. Minassian
Nor Or Weekly Administrative Staff:
Kevork Krikorian, Ara Kasabian, Garo Kupelian
MEDIA INQUIRY No. 2 addressed to Armenian Democratic League- Ramgavar (ADL) and its cultural arm, Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) and all the TCA/ADL-owned media outlets
Dear TCA- and ADL-owned media outlet Editors:
The MEDIA INQUIRY No. 1, dated December 2, 2023, addressed to you, to date remains unanswered.
The dissemination of the December 2 MEDIA INQUIRY No. 1 raised several other questions among the many supporters and members of Armenian Democratic League-Ramgavar (ADL) and its cultural arm, Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA)and the larger American Armenian and wider Diaspora communities.
Among the many responses that the USA Armenian Life Magazine (English-language print edition), Hye Kiank Armenian Weekly (Armenian-language print edition), USA Armenian Life E-Newsletter (Electronic Distribution — e-blast), USA Armenian Life FACEBOOK, www.armenianlife.com and USA Armenian Life TV received a set of new questions were brought to the forefront of Armenian public awareness.
Can you kindly shed light on the questions listed in this media inquiry No. 2?
It has been several years when your media outlet-controlling organization Armenian Democratic League -Ramgavar (ADL-Rag) and its cultural arm, Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) have unilaterally shut down the TCA Arshag Dikranian Armenian Day School in Hollywood, California and liquidated its real estate assets to the tune of $14.5 million. Can you kindly shed light on this matter?
Now it turns out that as a premeditated step and in order to justify the unwarranted and unjustifiable shutting down of a well-functioning Armenian educational center – the TCA Arshag Dikranian Armenian Day School in Hollywood, many members of the community insist that “the main culprits intentionally mismanaged the school in order to drive down student population size and to eventually shut the school down under the false pretext that “there are not enough students,” and misappropriate its financial assets.” What’s your response?
After systematically sabotaging and undermining its day-to-day operations under the cover of ‘poor management, ‘the ADL leadership including you and your colleagues, “shut down a vibrant school under the pretext of opening another day school in another American Armenian prospering community.” Many American Armenians are bewildered and enraged at the fact you have shut down a vibrant Armenian day school under a false pretext and in striking contrast to another prospering day school — Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian Day school in Hollywood which has been experiencing continuous growth over the course of many decades and now has a waiting list. What’s your response?
According to the information of an ADL-TCA activist has, “$1 million of the $14.5 million dollars was collected by a person named Panos Keshishian as his ‘fair’ share as a real estate broker; $1 million were allocated to taxes, $1 million were lost in the New York stock market, $50 (fifty thousand dollars) were donated to the Armenian Army after the four-day war in 2016; $175,000 were misused on the renovation of the editorial offices of the Yerevan-based “Azg” newspaper — (the ADL rented it from the government, which took it back from them… in improved and renovated condition); a few years ago, about $350,000 were lavishly spent on the airplane tickets, hotel accommodation, catering and other very “patriotic” activities of the participants of the ADL General Assembly in Yerevan, organized by the Edmon Azadian clan (most possibly including you) of the Armenian Democratic League -Ramgavar party. Can you kindly shed light on this matter?
Additionally, the same sources claim that “’the ‘Baikar’ and ‘Azg’ newspapers are abundantly financed with this money; the ‘Baikar’ editorial leadership pays the article authors $50 dollars for each article, and the actual editor Baydzig Kalayjian receives $1200 (one thousand two hundred dollars) a month. Therefore, up until now, perhaps one million has been misused for the printing of ‘Baikar’ weekly, for the salary of the editor and the columnists.” What’s your response?
According to the information from reliable sources received by a longtime ADL-TCA member, “in the past decade, the Tekeyan Center in Beirut was also going to be liquidated by the same corrupt leadership of ADL/TCA. They demanded $42 million dollars, but potential buyers did not give more than $28 million. In order to succeed in that deal, the number of students at the Tekeyan School, which was numbered more than 1,000 in the 1970’s, was consistently reduced in an artificial way, and dropped back to … 72 students, with a ridiculous number of graduates from kindergarten, preschool and high school, 3-7 people. Some of the three kindergarten, six elementary and three secondary classes have less than 10 students, some even 3 students.” What’s your response?
Also, “Had the Tekeyan Center been sold-off, the offices of “Zartonk” daily and ADL-Ramgavar (Lebanon) party headquarters, which are located in the Tekeyan Center, would be moved to the school. However, the explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, and the heavy damage to the Center, the terrible Lebanese economic decline, the unstable political and security situation in the country derailed the plot to sell — perhaps for the time being. The main figure of the plot to sell this center is Hagop Kassarjian, with the pitiful Sevag Hagopian, the editor of Zartonk. Are you aware if the ADL-TCA leadership still intends on liquidating the Tekeyan Center in Beirut, Lebanon?
Best regards,
Appo Jabarian
Managing Editor
CC: Armenian media outlets around the world, activists, community organizers, organizational leaders.
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Appo K. Jabarian
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USA Armenian Life Magazine (English-language print edition)