Individual Provided False Documents for Amnesty Release, Claiming to Have a Child Under 3 Years Old

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has uncovered several circumstances surrounding a criminal case involving A.V., a resident of Yerevan, who allegedly submitted false information to register a paternity recognition act at the Territorial Division of Civil Status Acts Registration in Erebuni and Nubarashen.

According to the gathered evidence, A.V. was involved as a suspect in a criminal case being investigated by the Special Investigative Service of Armenia on June 18, 2018, under Article 131 (kidnapping) of the Criminal Code of Armenia, specifically under parts 1, 2, and 3. He was subjected to pre-trial detention, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On October 4, 2018, A.V. was found and detained, but the next day, his pre-trial detention was replaced with bail.

On December 13, 2018, the criminal case against A.V. and his accomplice was submitted with an indictment conclusion to the General Jurisdiction Court of Yerevan. A.V. presented documents to the court confirming that he has a child under 3 years old, based on which a law on amnesty was adopted, stipulating that “individuals with children under three years old sentenced to maximum six years of imprisonment shall be exempt from punishment.” On that same day, a decision was made to cease criminal prosecution against A.V. and to terminate the proceedings.

Joint extensive measures undertaken by the employees of the relevant services of the Investigative Committee of Armenia and the Police, along with genetic examinations, revealed that three days before the amnesty law came into force, on October 29, 2018, an application was received at the Erebuni and Nubarashen Territorial Division regarding the parentage determination of the joint child of A.V. and witness I.D., in which they falsely asserted that A.V. is the father of the mentioned child, having been warned about the consequences of providing false information as per Article 1691 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (providing false information to civil status acts registration bodies).

On the same day, a new birth certificate was issued for the child, which altered the previously registered father's name to A.V. The amended birth registration was then submitted to the court, leading to the aforementioned decision to release A.V. from liability.

A decision was made to involve A.V. as a suspect under Article 1691 and part 1 of Article 325 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, and the case was consolidated with another ongoing investigation by the Investigative Committee concerning A.V., who was already involved as a suspect in serious crimes under Articles 38-34-104 (organizing an attempt to murder), 38-131 (organizing kidnapping), 38-176 (organizing robbery), and 182 (extortion). He has been subjected to pre-trial detention. The investigation is ongoing.