Cases of Large-Scale Bribery by State Revenue Committee Officials Disclosed

The National Security Service of Armenia's Lori regional department has conducted a series of operational and investigative actions resulting in the discovery of substantial evidence regarding the receipt of large-scale bribes by officials from the Investigative and Operational Department of the State Revenue Committee.

According to the findings, the head of this department, in prior agreement with subordinate operational officers, engaged in a division of roles and coordinated their efforts. During the months of May and June 2021, they demonstrated evident illegal inaction by failing to register various tax legislation violations and refraining from holding culpable individuals administratively accountable. In return, they extorted and received a total bribe amounting to 1,900,000 Armenian Drams from four business entities operating in the Lori region, which was then divided among themselves.

In connection with these events, criminal proceedings have been initiated in the Investigative Department of the National Security Service of Armenia, leading to the arrest of both the tax officials involved and the business operators who paid bribes, on suspicions of committing crimes.

Adequate evidence has been obtained during the preliminary investigation, and charges have been filed against the officials under Article 311, Part 4, Clause 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code. Preventive measures have been applied, leading to their detention. The director of the company that provided a bribe of 1,000,000 Armenian Drams has also been arrested, while other individuals who offered bribes have been subject to non-custodial preventive measures.

Necessary investigative and procedural actions are being undertaken to uncover other criminal manifestations committed by the officials, to clarify the entire circle of persons involved in the corrupt mechanism, and to provide a commensurate legal assessment of their actions.

The National Security Service once again urges business entities to operate exclusively within the legal framework and to refrain from engaging in corrupt practices. They warn that similar measures will continue to be implemented to eradicate existing corrupt manifestations across various public sectors.

Notice: A suspect or accused individual is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia, with a legally effective court judgment.