Investigation Concluded: 7 Police Officers Awarded Personalized Weapons Under Arman Sargsyan's Orders

The Head of the Police of Armenia, Vahe Ghazaryan, ordered an internal investigation on July 7 concerning certain information disseminated by the media regarding former Police Chief Arman Sargsyan. According to a statement released by the Police of Armenia, the investigation found that seven police officers were awarded personalized weapons under the orders of Arman Sargsyan.

“It has been recorded that the awards of the mentioned officers with weapons were justified, particularly as they were granted for long-term, exemplary, and impeccable service in the Police of Armenia, as well as for conscientious fulfillment of official duties or special assignments, which indicates that the orders of the Head of the Police of Armenia were exclusively based on legal requirements and were lawful,” the police statement read.

One media outlet reported that 51 police officers had been awarded, including individuals who were not eligible for such awards according to their ranks. The same publication also alleged that former Police Chief A. Sargsyan and Deputy Chiefs A. Martirosyan and H. Mhryan withdrew 30 million drams to pay bonuses to police officers, but that the funds were not used for their intended purpose.

During the course of the internal investigation, it was determined that this information also does not correspond to reality. “The salaries of the classified police officers are paid monthly in accordance with the procedure, terms, and amounts established by law, and are by no means comparable to the amount published,” the police statement noted.

All recipients of the payments were identified during the investigation. The director of the website that published the misinformation stated that he does not intend to submit a report regarding the alleged crime related to the publication, could not provide any factual data to support the mentioned information, and published that information in anticipation of generating greater interest in his website.