Investigative Committee Denies Media Report

The Investigative Committee has issued a statement regarding an article published in today’s issue of the newspaper "Zhhamanak" titled "Advance: The Son of the Former Deputy Chief of Police Has Immediately Become Head of the Department." The Committee clarifies that on November 20, Hovhannes Hambaryan was appointed as the head of the department for investigating crimes related to human trafficking, sexual offenses against minors, and drug trafficking.

Hovhannes Hambaryan has extensive experience in investigative work, having diligently performed his professional duties within the scope of his legal authority. He has been part of the system since 2013, working in various subdivisions of the Investigative Committee. Before his recent appointment, he served as the deputy head of the Cybercrime and High-Tech Crimes Investigation Department.

Regarding the claims made in the article that Hambaryan was accused of coercing testimony from a convicted individual during his time as an investigator, it is reported that a citizen, Arthur Shahverdyan, filed a complaint with the Special Investigative Service about this crime. Based on the materials prepared from the said complaint, a decision was made to reject the initiation of a criminal case, citing the absence of the elements of a crime as defined by Article 309, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code in Hambaryan’s actions. This decision was made on July 9, 2018, and has not been appealed.