Approximately 1 Million Dram Family Benefit Stolen in Dilijan

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has charged the head of the Dilijan Social Assistance Territorial Agency with demanding and receiving money from citizens to include them in the list of beneficiaries, assisting in large-scale fraud, and using obviously forged documents. Charges have also been brought against three residents of Dilijan.

According to the press service of the Committee, necessary investigative and procedural actions have revealed that the head of the Social Assistance Territorial Agency, who has held the position since July 2012, demanded and extorted a bribe from a citizen for the purpose of including them in the social assistance program in exchange for patronage and tolerance, threatening to deprive them of benefits otherwise. Additionally, upon learning that another resident of Dilijan wanted to join the family benefit program and that their name was associated with registered vehicles, the head informed them that they could not benefit from the program for this reason, simultaneously guiding them to divorce their spouse to create an opportunity for receiving assistance.

The citizen, who effectively lived with their spouse, divorced, and the spouse subsequently filled out false information in application forms, hiding the fact that they were living together and in actual marital relations.

The head of the agency, well aware that the information presented in the application forms was obviously false, processed them, allowing the woman to join the program and demanding and receiving certain amounts from the family benefits each month for patronage and tolerance. As a result, from September 2016 to August 2019, the woman received family benefits totaling 1,350,000 AMD, which she embezzled, causing significant financial damage to the state.

The investigation has also established that the head of the agency assisted another resident of Dilijan in committing large-scale property theft by providing advice and information. A resident of Tavush Province, seeking to join the family benefit program, was advised by the agency head to register at a different address due to vehicles registered in her husband's name preventing her from accessing the program. She falsely completed an official document containing false information, hiding the fact that she was living with her husband and in actual marital relations.

The agency head, fully aware of the obvious falsehoods in the documents submitted by the woman, processed them, based on which the woman received large-scale family benefits totaling 966,000 AMD from March 2016 to October 2018, which she embezzled, causing significant financial damage to the state.

Based on sufficient evidence, the head of the Social Assistance Territorial Agency has been charged under Articles 311, 178, and 325 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. One resident of Dilijan has been charged under Article 312, and two others under Article 178 and 325.

The three defendants are subject to a measure of restraint of not leaving their designated places, while the agency head is subject to an alternative restriction of bail. To recover damages caused to the state, a lien has been placed on their movable and immovable properties. The conclusion of the investigation has been announced, and the criminal case has been sent to the prosecutor overseeing the legality of the investigation with a request to approve the indictment and forward it to court. It should be noted that a decision has been made to suspend criminal proceedings for four other defendants due to an act of amnesty.