Charges Filed Against Arshaluyts Community Leader for Abuse of Official Powers

The investigation department of particularly important cases within the Military Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has revealed that Zarsand Grigoryan, a resident of the Arshaluyts community in the Armavir region and the community leader, abused his official position by signing orders to appoint persons lacking the necessary qualifications to positions of director of an art school and a kindergarten.

According to information from the Investigative Committee's press service, during the investigation, it was established that Grigoryan, in his capacity as a local self-governing body official performing organizational and managerial duties, acted out of personal interests. Specifically, with the aim of creating a favorable situation for a member of the community council, A.S., he disregarded service interests and appointed K.F., the wife of A.S., to the position despite her lacking the required higher education qualifications.

Grigoryan violated the provisions of Article 32 of the Law on the Fundamentals of Administrative Proceedings and Administration of the Republic of Armenia, which states that as an administrative body, he should have returned K.F.'s application dated December 4, 2014, due to the incomplete documentation. Instead of addressing the missing document—specifically a copy of the diploma proving the higher education requirement—he ignored the legal requirements and ordered the secretary of the municipal administration to draft a decision to appoint K.F. to the position.

Subsequently, he overlooked the requirements of Article 16, Part 1 of the Law on Non-Commercial Organizations, which stipulates that only adult citizens of Armenia with higher education may be appointed to executive positions. Given that the Art School is classified as an executive body under Article 9, Part 5 of the same law, Grigoryan, rather than making the correct decision based on the circumstances, facilitated the approval of K.F.'s appointment by the community council. Consequently, on December 27, 2014, he appointed K.F. as the director of the Art School with an indefinite employment contract that lasted until July 11, 2018.

This act disrupted the legal interests of the state and the individual qualified to hold that specific position, causing significant harm as it violated the mandatory condition for employment in such positions.

Furthermore, Grigoryan, in appointing K.F., again violated both the aforementioned legislation and the requirements set forth in the Law on Preschool Education, which states that only individuals with higher education and relevant experience may lead a preschool educational institution. Again, a lack of requisite documents in K.F.'s application was disregarded. Instead of addressing the deficiencies in a timely manner, he ordered the secretary to draft an order appointing K.F. as director of the Arshaluyts Kindergarten based on a council decision from July 24, 2017. This also allowed K.F. to hold positions in both the kindergarten and the art school until July 11, 2018.

As a result, the legal and rightful interests of the state were disrupted, leading to significant damages caused by the non-compliance with qualifications necessary for the positions.

Based on the sufficient evidence gathered, charges were filed against Z. Grigoryan for committing socially dangerous acts under Part 1 of Article 308 of the RA Criminal Code. The criminal case has been forwarded with an accusatory conclusion to the prosecutor overseeing the investigation.