“Private investigators in the USA, France, Switzerland, Canada, Britain, Italy and other developed countries are protected by the state: they have the right to carry weapons, the right to use special protective equipment, the right to obtain confidential information through the courts, state-provided insurance, and they are highly respected. When I entered the USA and the border officers learned I was a private investigator, they treated me with great respect and said it was a great honour,” said Hayk Gabrielyan, founding director of Gabrielyan & Partners Detective Bureau.
On 2–7 September, Chicago hosted the annual anniversary summit of the World Association of Detectives, dedicated to the association’s 100th anniversary. The summit was held in the same famous Drake hotel, on the same day the association was founded. The bureau’s founding director Hayk Gabrielyan told Aravot about it yesterday. During the summit he met the newly elected President of the World Association of Detectives Philip Raifel; former president, board member and President of the Association of British Investigators Mike La Corte; former president and board member Alexey Solomonadin; and newly elected Vice President Alex Auslander. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss the development of private investigation in Armenia and the strengthening of international partnerships.
On the opening day of the conference, Hayk Gabrielyan presented the association’s staff with the flag of the Republic of Armenia, which will now take its place of honour among the flags of nearly 100 member countries. By unanimous decision of the new board of the World Association of Detectives, Hayk Gabrielyan, founding director of Gabrielyan & Partners Detective Bureau, was elected an Ambassador of the association. That is where our conversation began.
— What does the ambassador status mean? Are there privileges, and what does it give Armenia?
— By unanimous decision of the board of the World Association of Detectives I was elected Ambassador of the association, which gives me a status covering the South Caucasus and Central Asia…
— Armenia has no law on private investigation. How acceptable is that when we deal with those states?
— It’s not about dealing with them; it is a network of methodological and practical help and support, so that experience is shared and quality services are provided. Compared with those countries, Armenia’s status is several steps higher: they don’t even have members in the region — we are the only member in the entire region. I carry out a mandate given by the World Association, not by Armenian law. Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan don’t have laws yet, and Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have no detectives at all.
— Who took part?
— About 500 delegates from 86 countries attended. The Republic of Armenia also took part, represented by our bureau’s delegation. We held bilateral meetings with the heads of leading private investigation firms from the UK, USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, Italy, France, India, Nepal, Spain, Serbia, Switzerland, Israel, Nigeria, Taiwan, Jordan, Bolivia and the UAE, discussing professional mutual assistance and stronger partnerships. We also took part in the vote for the association’s president and vice presidents.
— Were new challenges discussed? What problems do private investigators face? It’s no secret that regulations and legal frameworks have changed in some countries. Has the role of private investigators diminished or come under threat?
— Under the new regulations the role of private investigators has, on the contrary, grown even further; they are in great demand. Armenia should address this too: once a private prosecution system is introduced, detectives will help victims. The real challenges are cybercrime, the spread of illegal drug trafficking and human trafficking. In many countries there are no problems when detective companies cooperate with the state. I would also like to mention that Armenian private investigators from the USA and Canada who run well-known investigative firms attended the conference. I was a guest of Harry Kazakyan (founder and CEO of USA Express Legal & Investigative Services Inc, a private investigation company in California. Founded in Woodland Hills, California, in 1998, the company specialises in risk management and the investigation of accidents and wrongful death cases, with a particular focus on securing justice for victims, survivors and their families. — R.M.) at his investigation agency, the best known in Los Angeles; he has three offices in California. In countries with a good law and solid legislation, investigators are protected and enjoy a fairly privileged status.
Ruzan MINASYAN
Aravot daily, 24.09.2025
Read at the source (in Armenian): Private investigators return from Chicago