Military Police Expose Cases of Bribery and Abuse of Official Power

The Military Police of the Republic of Armenia has uncovered instances of bribery and abuse of official power following operational information received in the Central Apparatus of the Military Police.

On May 19, 2023, the head of the financial service from Military Unit N was summoned to the Gyumri Military Police division, where he reported and explained that in March 2019, he personally gave $1,000 to the head of the financial service of the same unit in exchange for his wife’s employment at that military unit. This sum was subsequently forwarded to the unit commander.

Also summoned to the Gyumri Military Police division was the former head of the financial service of the same military unit, who reported that he facilitated his hiring through the unit commander, who demanded and received $1,000 for this intervention.

Materials are being prepared in relation to this incident by the Gyumri Military Police division.

In another disclosure, the former head of the financial service reported that in February 2017, the unit commander proposed finding a buyer for the monthly surplus of electricity owed to the military unit. The head of the financial service contacted an acquaintance who was in charge of the electrical network servicing the military unit, and the acquaintance agreed to pay 9 AMD for each kilowatt. Until April 2019, this individual handed over between 150,000 to 400,000 AMD each month to the head of the financial service, totaling between 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 AMD, which was then handed directly to the unit commander in his office. The unit commander provided the financial service chief with 20,000 to 30,000 AMD each month, summing up to between 300,000 to 400,000 AMD, as well as similar amounts to the head of the unit's supply and technical service, who manipulated the electricity meter readings.

The former financial service chief also reported that in October 2018, the unit commander proposed that he find a buyer for the surplus monthly gas supply owed to the military unit. The financial service chief contacted an acquaintance at the gas office, who agreed to pay 23 AMD for each cubic meter of gas. In January 2019, after calculating the excess gas consumption for 2018, the gas office employee handed over 2,000,000 AMD to the head of the financial service, which the latter then transferred to the unit commander. The manipulation of the meter readings was conducted by the head of the supply and technical service of the unit.

The reports have been sent to the Shirak garrison military prosecutor's office for further action.