20 March 2008, 21:10
Residents of Armenia and Diaspora raise money to pay the debt of the GALA TV Company
The community of Gyumri, the second-largest city of Armenia, as well as people from other cities and villages of the country, are raising money to pay the penalty awarded to the Gyumri-based GALA TV Company by the Administrative Court. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learnt about it at the Gyumri Press Club "Asparez".
On March 19, the Administrative Court of Gyumri, presided by Judge E. Nagapetyan, passed a decision on the claim of the city's tax inspectorate against the GALA TV Company, uncontrolled by the authorities. According to the Court's decision, the TV Company was fined in favour of the tax inspectorate to the sum of 25,570,100 drams (equal to 84,000 US dollars or 58,000 euros).
In view of the situation, the GALA TV Company addressed its spectators and the general public for support. Levon Barsegyan, President of the "Asparez" Gyumri Press Club, and Vaan Khachatryan, Director of the GALA TV Company, set up a fundraising office aimed to raise money from television viewers in Gyumri and elsewhere. An account was opened to the name of the Company's Director at the city's branch of the Unibank. Telephone calls with promises to render financial support arrived from many settlements of the Shirak Region. People offer from 1000 drams (about 3 US dollars) up to 1500 US dollars. Besides, calls from Moscow, Athens, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Brussels followed. The GALA expects help from compatriots who live in Los Angeles, Washington, Sydney, London and other cities of the world.
