Charges Filed for Bribery Involving Dilijan Resident and Forest Ranger of Dilijan National Park

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has reported that substantial investigative and procedural actions have led to the identification of several circumstances surrounding the bribery case involving a forest ranger of the Dilijan National Park.

According to the gathered evidence, in May 2020, a resident of the city of Dilijan agreed to bribe the forest ranger of the 10th protection unit of the "Shamakhan" sector of the Dilijan National Park. With the ranger's approval and without the necessary documentation, the resident removed approximately 4 cubic meters of firewood from the designated area using a Ford vehicle twice at the end of the month, providing part of the bribe to the ranger personally.

Furthermore, on June 1, 2020, around 08:00, under the same agreement and without appropriate documentation, the resident again removed firewood with the aforementioned vehicle from the same protection unit. However, he was discovered by police officers and was unable to deliver the remaining portion of the bribe to the ranger.

Based on the collected evidence, the forest ranger has been charged under Article 311, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (receiving a bribe), while the Dilijan resident faces charges under Article 312, Part 1 (giving a bribe). A signature not to leave has been applied as a measure of restraint for both individuals. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.