Large-scale Embezzlement at Water Users Company Investigated

The Lori Regional Prosecutor's Office has initiated a criminal case regarding the alleged abuses committed by officials of the "Lori" water users' company.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, materials were sent to the Spitak division of the Lori regional police by the ASP, under the instruction of the Lori regional prosecutor's office, based on information received from the National Security Service of Armenia about embezzlement from amounts collected from water users in the village of Lernavan, allocated for irrigation.

During the preparation of materials, evidence was gathered indicating that the "Getik" and subsequently "Lori" water users' company had supplied irrigation water to 35 water users including those from the Lernavan community in Lori province. During their operations from 2010 to 2018, responsible officials of the company extended annual employment contracts for a citizen to hold the position of senior water distributor in the Lernavan section. Despite never attending work or fulfilling job duties, significant funds amounting to 1,365,781 AMD were unjustly documented as salary in that individual’s name. Officials then personally withdrew these amounts through bank cards linked to their salaries, using them for personal needs. This has led to substantial embezzlement via the abuse of official position.

It has also been revealed that members of the company's management fabricated false employment contracts and created fraudulent reports about salary payments to conceal the embezzlement of funds paid in the name of the aforementioned individual. They included fictitious information regarding employment agreements and salary payments, presenting these false documents to the company's management.

Given that the prepared materials evidently indicate the characteristics of the alleged crime of embezzlement in large sums by a group of individuals acting in collusion, as well as forgery of official documents, the deputy prosecutor of the Lori region has decided to initiate a criminal case under parts 1, 2, and 3 of Article 179, and part 2 of Article 325 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. The preliminary investigation has been assigned to the Lori regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia.