VIDEO: Incomplete Work at Sevan National Park

The Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Police has received operational information regarding illegal activities in the Gegharkunik region. According to the Police's Public Relations and Information Department, the following has been established based on the information.

Preliminary data indicates that in 2013, a contract was signed between the Office for Implementation of Environmental Programs of the Ministry of Environment and the 'Chambrak Road Construction and Operation Company' open joint-stock company, according to which the company was to carry out afforestation works in the coastal and submerged areas of the Sevan National Park for a total of 368,776,320 drams from 2013 to 2015, covering a total area of 285 hectares in the Vardenis, Noratus, and Martuni branches.

The technical supervision of the cleaning works was conducted by the 'Republic of Armenia State Expertise of Project' closed joint-stock company. In 2015, obviously falsified performance acts were signed by officials from the Office for Implementation of Environmental Programs of the Ministry of Environment and the 'Republic of Armenia State Expertise of Project,' claiming that the cleaning works had been fully completed, whereas the 'Chambrak Road Construction and Operation Company' had not actually completed the works in full.

Members of the commission established by the Minister of Environment to finalize the acceptance of the works, being officials endowed with temporary directive powers, abused their official position for group interests and signed acts clearly falsifying the completion of the works and their acceptance. As a result, the management of the 'Chambrak Road Construction and Operation Company' embezzled a particularly large sum of more than 24 million 630 drams, causing significant damage to the state.

A criminal case has been initiated in the police's Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, and it has been sent to the Investigative Committee for further investigation.