A ski resort located in Armenia has been fined 100,000 AMD for failing to carry out required environmental impact assessments prior to the construction of its ski lifts, hotel and restaurant.

Myler Mountain Resort CJSC opened the ski complex, in the country’s Aragatzotn Province, in January 2023.

The company only submitted an environmental impact assessment application in the fall of 2023, months after construction had been completed and the resort had opened for business.

During construction, the company felled six hectares of forest to build the ski lifts and trails.

The Armenian government, in 2021, gave the green light for the 30 billion AMD ($62million) winter resort complex and allocated some 2,000 hectares, declared eminent domain, for the resort’s construction.

Myler Mountain Resort owner Tigran Harutyunyan is the son of businessman Mikhail Harutyunyan and brother of former Republican Party MP Vahan Harutyunyan. Mikhail Harutyunyan is the uncle of Mihran Poghosyan, a former head of Armenia’s Compulsory Enforcement Service (CES), best known for his shady offshore financial dealings. ( See: Mihran Poghosyan: The Armenian General Who Mastered the Ins and Outs of Panama's Offshore Zone).