Multiple Cases of Bribery and Abuse of Official Powers in Prisons

The National Security Service of Armenia has uncovered multiple cases of abuse of official powers and bribery by officials of the Ministry of Justice's correctional institutions as part of its efforts to combat corruption.

According to preliminary information obtained, the head of a facility at the "Armavir" Penitentiary, by allowing an inmate to use a mobile phone, leave the cell door open, and move freely, demanded and received various construction materials worth a total of 300,000 AMD as a bribe through the inmate's relatives during May to July 2019, which he used for personal needs.

In a similar manner, an official demanded construction materials as a bribe from another convict in exchange for performing illegal acts in favor of that individual.

In another incident, officials at the "Artik" Penitentiary failed to take proper measures to prevent violations of the regime, discover prohibited items, register offenses, and ensure lawful procedures during April and May 2019. Instead of conducting searches of the prisoners' cells, they reached mutual agreements with the inmates and obtained 20 mobile phones from them, incorrectly documenting these as results of searches and creating official documents containing false information.

Additionally, employees of the same penitentiary received 100,000 AMD as a bribe for transferring prohibited items, including mobile phones, to a convict. They were aware that the juice in the convict’s possession contained narcotic substances but took no action to confiscate it or initiate criminal proceedings, instead allowing its illegal distribution within the facility.

Moreover, at the "Vanadzor" Penitentiary, officials allegedly colluded with certain convicts regarded as criminal authorities to smuggle prohibited items, including drugs, into the facility from September 2018 to June 2019 in exchange for various amounts of money.

Criminal cases have been initiated in the investigative department of the NSS based on these apparent criminal acts in accordance with relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia. An investigation is underway.

Notice: A suspect or accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia, with a court's verdict gaining legal force.