Abuses in the Gugark and Bazum Police Departments: Police Officer Arrested

Within the framework of cooperation between the National Security Service of Armenia and the police, factual data has been obtained regarding abuses by officers of the Gugark and Bazum police departments in the Lori region as a result of operational-investigative measures undertaken by employees of the Criminal Police Chief Directorate.

Specifically, on January 30, officers from the community police division of the Gugark police department stopped a vehicle loaded with timber on the Vanadzor-Alaverdi road, for which the driver offered and provided a bribe of 30,000 AMD to the police officers for not verifying the legality of the timber acquisition, not transferring the vehicle to the department's specially protected area, and not preparing materials in the prescribed manner.

Factual data was also obtained indicating that on November 29 of the previous year, an inspector from the community police division of the Gugark police department, at the request of one of his acquaintances, used his official position against the interests of service for personal motives and included blatantly false information regarding illegally cut tree species, their quantities, and volumes in the preparatory materials, leading to the citizen evading possible criminal liability and facing administrative responsibility instead. Subsequently, on December 4 of the previous year, this citizen gave a bribe of 20,000 AMD to the community police inspector.

It was also revealed that in October of the previous year, an inspector from the community police division of the Gugark police department, at the instigation of the deputy head of the same department, included blatantly false information regarding illegally transported timber in the preparatory materials related to the transportation of timber without documents, violating the legal interests of the state and carelessly leading to serious consequences.

Factual data was also obtained that the head of the criminal investigation division of the Gugark police department and the senior inspector of prophylaxis concealed the incident of a car accident involving a UAZ vehicle transporting illegally cut timber on October 14 of the previous year by composing official documents containing clearly false information and treated the accident as a misfortune, resulting in the illegal logging event not being registered and breaching the state's legal interests, which carelessly led to severe consequences.

Furthermore, on November 7 of the previous year, patrol officers from the Bazum police department in Vanadzor stopped a vehicle loaded with illegally cut trees. Instead of transferring it to the department's specially protected area, verifying the legality of the timber acquisition, and preparing materials in the prescribed manner, they were instructed by the head of the criminal investigation division of the Bazum police department, and the incident was not documented. This abuse resulted in a violation of state interests, which carelessly led to severe consequences.

Criminal cases have been initiated in the Combatting Corruption and Economic Crimes Division of the Criminal Police Chief Directorate regarding these incidents, and the senior inspector of the community police division of the Gugark police department has been arrested. The initiated criminal cases have been sent to the Special Investigation Service from the police. The process of self-cleaning and the persistent fight against detrimental phenomena within the police system will continue.