Fraud and Embezzlement at the Institute of Hydroponics Named After G.S. Davtyan: Criminal Case Sent to Investigative Committee

The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office has investigated documents received from the National Academy of Sciences regarding fuel consumption for vehicles operated at the G.S. Davtyan Institute of Hydroponics Problems between 2013 and 2019. As a result, additional documents were requested and obtained from the institute.

According to the prosecutor's office, the investigation revealed apparent official abuses manifested through the introduction of false information and records regarding the mileage of vehicles in logbooks maintained by officials of the institute during the specified period, which facilitated embezzlement and misuse of funds through the appropriation of significant amounts.

Specifically, an analysis of the logbooks related to the operation of a "Niva" brand vehicle registered with the institute revealed that between June and October 2013, the reported mileage was overstated by 5,531 km, resulting in the issuance of approximately 660 liters of gasoline. In another instance, from November 2013 to October 2018, the same analysis indicated that an additional 44,000 km was falsely reported, leading to the allocation of 5,280 liters of gasoline.

It was also found that the basic fuel consumption norms for the vehicle, which is 12 liters of gasoline per 100 km, were exceeded, with about 6,000 liters more gasoline allocated to the vehicle during the 2013-2019 period than is permissible.

Out of the total 37,300 liters of gasoline procured for the institute's needs during 2013-2020, 13,980 liters were allocated for the personal use of a vehicle operated by the director's father. However, required details in the logbooks, such as the vehicle's mileage, departure, and destination points, were notably absent, which evidently indicates that the gasoline expenditure for the 13,980 liters allocated is unjustified.

Overall, it is estimated that approximately 9,750,000 AMD worth of 25,920 liters of gasoline was embezzled as a result of these actions. Given the evidence of apparent falsification of official documents and the alleged embezzlement in significant amounts utilizing official positions, a criminal case has been initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office under Articles 314 and 179, Part 3 of the Armenian Criminal Code. The criminal case has been forwarded to the Investigative Committee for further investigation.