Pashinyan's Relative Subject to Travel Restrictions

The main investigation department of the RA Investigative Committee has completed the preliminary investigation into the criminal case regarding the forgery of a diploma from an agricultural institute. Charges have been filed against the Deputy Head of the Protection Department at the Dilijan National Park NGO.

Earlier, it was reported that information had been received regarding the Deputy Head of the Protection Department of the Dilijan National Park NGO, who was born in 1968. In February 2019, he submitted a copy of a forged diploma, claiming to have graduated from the Armenian Agricultural Institute in 1993 with a specialization in "Agricultural Mechanization" and to hold a qualification as an engineer-mechanic, to the personnel department. Subsequently, he was appointed to the aforementioned position.

A criminal case had been opened at the RA National Security Service's investigation department based on Part 1 of Article 325 of the RA Criminal Code, with the preliminary investigation carried out by the main investigation department of the RA Investigative Committee.

As a result of investigative actions carried out during the pre-trial proceedings, several circumstances of the case were clarified, including the method of forgery of the document.

Specifically, lacking a higher education and knowing that the Deputy Head of the Protection Department at the Dilijan National Park was about to be relieved of his duties, and that a prerequisite for appointment to that position was possession of higher education in environmental protection or related fields, the man born in 1968 decided to create and use a forged document certifying the possession of higher education to occupy that position.

To carry out his intention, on February 11, 2019, he submitted an application to the organization's director, then made notes in his autobiography and personal sheet stating that he had studied and graduated from the Armenian Agricultural Institute.

Then, removing the personal information of another person who allegedly graduated from the Armenian Agricultural Institute in 1993 with a specialization in "Agricultural Mechanization" and holding a qualification as an engineer-mechanic from a diploma copy, he added his own information with handwritten notes and presented a forged diploma copy to the human resources department of the Dilijan National Park NGO, which is considered an official document vested with rights. As a result, based on this, he was appointed as the Deputy Head of the Protection Department by the director's order.

Based on sufficient evidence obtained, the man has been charged under Part 1 of Article 325 of the RA Criminal Code. A travel restriction in the form of a signature not to leave has been imposed on him.

The completion of the preliminary investigation has been announced, and the criminal case, along with a request to validate the accusatory conclusion and forward it to the court, has been sent to the prosecutor overseeing the legality of the preliminary investigation.