Case of Bribery Involving a Ministry of Defense Official Discovered

Based on a report submitted by a citizen to the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia, operational-investigative measures have led to the discovery of a case involving bribery by an official of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.

Specifically, within the framework of the proceedings initiated at the Anti-Corruption Committee, factual data was obtained about a citizen who acquired Armenian citizenship, M.V., who submitted documents to be registered in the armed forces on May 2, 2023, prior to obtaining a passport. Subsequently, on the same day, the aforementioned citizen received a call offering to expedite the processing of the documents and to arrange for not being summoned to training gatherings in exchange for a bribe of 150,000 AMD to be given to the Ministry of Defense official.

Following this, the citizen reported the solicitation of a bribe to the Anti-Corruption Committee, prompting the initiation of an undercover investigative operation termed “Simulated Bribery.” During this operation, Major S.M., an officer in the Planning and Analysis Department of the Ministry of Defense's Recruitment and Mobilization Service, received a bribe of 150,000 AMD from M.V. with the assistance of citizen R.G.

Immediately after receiving the bribe, Major S.M. and the individual who assisted him, R.G., were arrested by employees of the operational-investigative department of the Anti-Corruption Committee, based on substantial grounds for suspicion of committing acts described under part 2 of Article 435 and part 3 of Article 46-435 of the RA Criminal Code. An investigation is underway.

Notice: The accused in the crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the manner prescribed by the RA Criminal Procedure Code, by a judgment that has entered into legal force.