Video: NSS Reveals Details on Judges Gevorg Narinian and Ara Kubanian's Activities

The National Security Service of Armenia continues to unveil corruption manifestations in various public service sectors and emphasizes the importance of providing the public with acceptable levels of information regarding criminal cases of public interest. It has reported that sufficient evidence has been gathered in the criminal case regarding the abuse of official powers by public officials, conspiracy to facilitate such abuses, forgery, illegal enrichment, concealment of declarable data, and the legalization of particularly large assets acquired through illegal means.

In particular, it was found that a chief official of the bankruptcy court increased his assets by 12,382,580 Armenian drams in 2019, which significantly exceeded his legal income and was not reasonably justified. He attempted to legitimize these illegal earnings by converting them into legal circulation.

He allegedly developed close relationships with another judge of the same court and the bankruptcy case manager, A.K., who was in a dependent position due to his official capacity. The chief official was informed about a civil case regarding the bankruptcy of a private entrepreneur, S.A., and the sale of real estate owned by him and his family members.

To acquire this property at a significantly reduced price, he allegedly persuaded the bankruptcy case manager to obstruct the normal process of public auctions for the sale of the property, thereby decreasing its starting auction price artificially. The initial price of the property, located in the Center administrative district of Yerevan, dropped from 26,400,000 drams to 12,382,000 drams.

During this time, the bankruptcy court judge was aware that A.K. was abusing his powers and thus disrupting the public auction process. Nonetheless, the judge allegedly used his official position against service interests and failed to take action to prevent the criminal activities.

Moreover, he conspired with T.M., the son of his aunt, to ensure T.M.'s participation in the public auction scheduled for September 27, 2019, by providing him with the necessary information and funds. As per their agreement, T.M. acquired the property at the significantly reduced price and subsequently registered it in his own name.

The chief official of the bankruptcy court thus managed to funnel illegal assets into legal circulation and evade consequences for illegal enrichment and the concealment of declarable monetary assets.

In addition, there is substantial evidence that this judicial authority continued its criminal activities by instructing A.K. to secure T.M.'s participation in the auction by removing barriers and facilitating the unlawful removal of property from the apartment.

Due to these actions, significant rights and legal interests of other individuals, including that of the bankrupt individual and co-owners of the real estate, were severely affected, resulting in serious consequences, namely the unlawful alienation of particularly valuable property.

On July 17, 2020, a decision was made to involve one of the bankruptcy judges as a defendant under several articles of the Criminal Code, with the second judge also being implicated in the charges. The necessary procedures for overcoming the judges' immunity were followed, leading to legal actions taken against them.

The criminal case remains ongoing, with multiple investigative measures being conducted, including searches within the offices of the bankruptcy court and the residences of the judges involved. This included the seizure of various documents and significant amounts of cash in both foreign currency and the national currency, crucial for the case.

The National Security Service recalls the incident from October 2019 when a citizen, declared bankrupt, attempted self-immolation in front of the government building, protesting against the abuses committed during the bankruptcy proceedings.

As a reminder of the constitutional laws in place, the NSS notes that further information cannot be provided at this stage due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation.