Prosecutor's Office Sends Criminal Case of Illegal Arms Transport and Storage to Court

On January 30, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia received an accusatory conclusion regarding a criminal case investigated by the Special Investigation Service of Armenia involving charges against H. A. and A. G. under Article 235, Part 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code (namely, acquiring, transporting, and storing firearms, cartridges of firearms, and military ammunition illegally by a group of individuals with prior consent).

The preliminary investigation collected sufficient factual evidence that H. A., a resident of the village of Mkchyan in Ararat Province, illegally acquired more than ten different types of firearms and approximately three thousand factory-produced cartridges suitable for firing, circumventing restrictions set by the Law on Arms of Armenia.

According to preliminary agreement with A. G., a resident of Mrgavet village in Ararat Province, they illegally transported and stored the aforementioned weapons and military ammunition at the site of a former mechanical-repair factory in Mkchyan, which previously belonged to one of Armenia's former prime ministers.

On August 6, 2018, officials from the relevant department of the National Security Service conducted a search of this area, where the weapons and ammunition were discovered and seized.

Regarding the charges presented, H. A. did not provide a stance and refused to give testimony. Meanwhile, A. G. stated that although he does not consider himself guilty of the charges, he regrets his actions and has provided a confession, which he reiterated during a confrontation with H. A.

The prosecutor supervising the legality of the pre-trial proceedings of the National Investigative Committee of Armenia confirmed the accusatory conclusion for the specified criminal case, and the case has been sent to the first instance court of general jurisdiction of Ararat and Vayots Dzor provinces.

Notice: The suspect or accused in the alleged crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure set forth by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia through a legal and enforceable court decision.