Defense Ministry Purchased 557.6 Million AMD Worth of Unnecessary Material Resources: Prosecutor's Office

The investigation by the Military Prosecutor's Office of Armenia revealed the acquisition of unnecessary material resources amounting to 557.6 million AMD by the Ministry of Defense. This was reported in a statement released by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia, which noted:

"The State Interests Protection Department of the Military Central Prosecutor’s Office is examining the compliance of material resources purchased for the needs of the Ministry of Defense in previous years with legislative requirements, including the necessity and applicability of the acquired resources.

As a result of the studies, it was found that the Ministry of Defense, basing its decisions on reports from relevant officials of the Armed Forces of Armenia stating that the acquired material resources were critically necessary for military needs, purchased military medical material resources worth a total of 557,587,600 AMD through two contracts signed on December 16, 2010. However, studies carried out concerning the protection of state interests revealed and substantiated that the acquired material resources primarily have a high value, are not intended for Armenia's climatic conditions, lack military medical significance, and as such cannot be applied in the Armed Forces of Armenia, since their usage requires a large number of human and technical resources.

This is further evidenced by the fact that according to the study results, the mentioned items have never served their intended purpose after acquisition, have suffered some damage over the years, and after 8 years a decision was made to reevaluate and disassemble them. As a result, the initial value of the total property was decreased by 103,075,700 AMD due to accumulated wear and tear, while individual components included in the total property were distributed amongst various units of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

Based on the aforementioned, the necessity of purchasing such material resources for the needs of the Ministry of Defense has been questioned, along with the efficiency and justification of the use of public financial resources, which ultimately caused damage to the state amounting to 557,587,600 AMD.

Considering that the factual circumstances outlined above may prima facie contain evidence of abuse of office, excess of authority, or misappropriation of public funds by officials endowed with official powers of the Ministry of Defense, the investigation documents have been forwarded to the Military Investigative Main Directorate of the RA Investigative Committee to clarify the circle of guilty persons, prepare materials for legal assessment of their actions, and resolve further proceedings."