Deputy Minister Receives Bribes: Corruption Gang Uncovered

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reports that law enforcement has uncovered a corruption gang involving officials from the Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia. Specifically, it has come to light that Gevorg Hovsepyan has been charged with accepting bribes since August 2007 while serving as the director of the "Republican Geological Fund" state non-commercial organization.

Hovsepyan, as a public official endowed with the authority to carry out organizational and management functions in that state agency, was involved in specific transactions regarding the gathering, storage, and provision of information about mineral resources and their reserves.

It has been revealed that during 2017-2018, he accepted bribes for issuing permission rights for several legal entities engaged in mining activities. In return, he coordinated with other officials, including Deputy Minister Vardan Gevorgyan and Acting Head of the "Geological Agency" Anushavan Aivazyan, to ensure favorable conditions and timelines legally specified for these entities.

Hovsepyan is accused of personally receiving significant sums of money as bribes, which were later distributed among the group members. Besides the ministry officials, managers from mining companies have also been charged, including Aslan Tonoyan, who is alleged to have paid a total of $6,800 in bribes in exchange for processing the documentation necessary for obtaining mining rights.

Tonoyan's payments were specifically targeted at ensuring a positive outcome within the legally defined timeframe, with a portion of the funds allocated to Hovsepyan for bribe distribution among group members.

The aforementioned officials have been charged, and measures have been taken to prevent them from leaving the country. The case will be heard by Judge Artush Gabrielian at the General Jurisdiction Court of Yerevan.