Notebooks Found Stating Bribery During 2021 Elections

The members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) allegedly gave and received bribes during the parliamentary and local self-government elections held in 2021. This information has been reported by the press service of the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia.

According to the Anti-Corruption Committee, searches have been conducted at the residences of individuals involved as defendants. “During the search conducted on May 6, 2022, at the residence of A. M., the head of the ARF’s territorial body in Armavir, notebooks with handwritten notes containing information about bribing voters in various amounts during the national assembly and local self-government elections held in 2021 were found,” the statement reads.

A criminal case has been initiated at the Anti-Corruption Committee under the first and second points of the fourth part of Article 154.2 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (Bribing voters, receiving bribes, violating the prohibition on charity during elections, or obstructing the free expression of voters' will) and part one of Article 154.9 (Mediation in bribery).

According to the materials of the criminal case, an inspection of the notebooks revealed handwritten notes regarding financial allocations from the ARF Supreme Body, regional structures, and their electoral headquarters during the periods of the early parliamentary elections and local self-government elections in 2021. Specifically, the notes indicate that around 6,470,000 AMD was distributed during the parliamentary elections, while approximately 3,513,000 AMD was distributed during the local elections.

The notebooks confirm the bribing and receiving of bribes during the elections, particularly with handwritten entries next to various individuals' names indicating “SPECIFIC ALLOCATION FROM GM,” “SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS FROM MK,” and “SPECIFIC ALLOCATION FROM THE HEADQUARTERS,” as well as calculations regarding bribery transactions.

A special investigative group has been formed within the Anti-Corruption Committee, which includes investigators from the Investigative Committee of Armenia. Searches have been conducted in several offices of the ARF in Armavir and in the residences of more than ten members of the regional structure, including the office coordinators and individuals actively participating in electoral campaigns. The Anti-Corruption Committee reported that various lists, including those with monetary annotations, have been discovered and seized. The investigation continues.

It is noteworthy that today the Investigative Committee announced that two residents of Armavir region have been arrested on charges of materially enticing individuals to participate in opposition gatherings. The arrested citizens are members of the ARF.

On May 7, the ARF Supreme Body also released a statement indicating that a search had been conducted at the ARF's regional office in Armavir. The ARF described the incidents as acts of “terrorism and abduction,” asserting that it would not hinder their unwavering struggle for the statehood. It was also noted that in an effort to suppress resistance and silence the national voice of protest, “the entire law enforcement system has been engaged in the brutal defense of one individual and his regime.”