Head of Vaghashen Village in Gegharkunik to Step Down Following Conviction

The head of Vaghashen community in Gegharkunik province, A. Suvaryan, is set to resign after being found guilty by court ruling. The investigation conducted by the Martuni investigative division of the Gegharkunik Regional Prosecutor's Office established that between 2015 and 2017, Suvaryan failed to attend work for a total of 85 days while being out of the country, receiving a total salary of 952,445 AMD, which he embezzled.

Additionally, between 2014 and 2016, Suvaryan validated five performance acts containing false information regarding the maintenance and services of a GAZ 31105 vehicle owned by the community administration with his signature and seal. Based on these acts, the Martuni automotive repair station repaired his personal TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 4.5 car using community budget funds amounting to 1,150,000 AMD for the vehicle's maintenance.

Furthermore, during the period from January 2017 to August 2018, Suvaryan effectively employed K. Suvaryan, a resident of Vaghashen and a registered beneficiary of the Martuni social support agency, as a driver without officially registering him as an employee. By doing so, he facilitated K. Suvaryan's fraudulent appropriation of 712,500 AMD from the same agency.

A. Suvaryan has been charged under multiple sections of the Armenian Criminal Code, including Article 179 (embezzlement), Article 314 (forgery), and Article 178 (fraud). The director of the Martuni automotive repair station, A. Hakobyan, has also been charged for assisting in the forgery of official documents and embezzling community funds.

On June 16, 2020, a prosecutor validated the indictment, and the criminal case was forwarded to the first instance court in Gegharkunik province for substantive examination. During expedited proceedings, prosecutors requested imprisonment for A. Suvaryan.

On July 20, 2020, the court convicted Suvaryan on all charges and imposed a penalty of 1.5 million AMD, taking into account that he had fully compensated for the damages during the investigation, admitted his guilt, and provided confessing statements. He is the caretaker of elderly parents and a disabled mother.

In accordance with a law declaring amnesty in connection with the 2800th anniversary of Erebuni-Yerevan and the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the First Republic of Armenia, A. Suvaryan was exempted from serving the principal penalty. Additionally, he was barred from holding any responsible and managerial positions in state and local self-government bodies for two years. Separate judicial acts led to the termination of criminal prosecution against A. Hakobyan based on the amnesty law.