NSS Revelations in Abovyan Municipality

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia has revealed cases of large-scale bribery and other abuses by officials within the Abovyan municipality as part of its efforts to combat corruption. The NSS reported this through its press center.

According to established facts, an employee coordinating property transactions at the Abovyan municipality included false information in the documentation regarding the sale of a 7,175.83 square meter plot of land adjacent to a previously illegally constructed hotel on Hatis Street. This was done to favor a specific economic entity. Additionally, officials from the municipal and commercial organizations created and used false official documents.

These actions led to several officials from the Abovyan municipality abusing their official powers for group interests, failing to fulfill their official duties contrary to the interests of service. They did not comply with the requirements of the Armenian Government’s resolution No. 912-N of May 18, 2006, regarding the legalization and management of unauthorized constructions. As a result, a decision made by the Abovyan municipal council on April 30, 2019, led to the disposal of the aforementioned land plot, causing approximately 39 million AMD in material damage to the municipal budget.

Additionally, it was revealed that officials from the Abovyan municipality had solicited a bribe from an entrepreneur to resolve the issue of legalizing a building on Saralanj Street, which was previously built illegally and was being used as a mourners' hall by the same economic entity. Through the aforementioned employee, they requested a bribe and, under the control of NSS operational units, received the equivalent of 1,500 USD on February 28, 2019, which was 719,355 AMD. Following that, a corresponding decision was made by the municipal council on May 8, 2019.

A criminal case was initiated on June 6, 2019, in the NSS investigative department based on the apparent crimes under Article 311 part 3 point 3, Article 312 part 2, Article 308 part 2, Article 325 part 1, and Article 214 part 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code.

The investigation is ongoing, and measures are being taken to uncover all corruption-related crimes in this field, identify the involved persons, and provide legal assessments of their actions.