Two Conviction Sentences Issued for False Accusation: Prosecutor's Office

The Prosecutor's Office of Armenia emphasizes the importance of the close cooperation between citizens and law enforcement agencies in uncovering crimes and the initiative of citizens to provide information about criminal acts. At the same time, it highlights that providing false information about individuals committing a crime, consciously and unjustly accusing people, including public officials, of committing a criminal act is a prosecutable offense under criminal law, and public awareness regarding this issue has a preventive significance.

Accordingly, on July 8, 2019, in the Shirak Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee, G. V., having been warned about the criminal liability for false accusations, knowingly provided false information, unjustly accusing police officers from the Kumayri division of illegally exercising their official duties and committing official forgery. Specifically, G. V. reported that allegedly, on April 11, 2019, at around 13:30, three operatives from the mentioned police division had drawn up a false record regarding his detention, having falsified the time of the detention.

Additionally, according to the provided report, the same officers, along with the head of the division, threatened him with ‘breaking fingers, detention, and making his life hell’ while demanding he admit to committing thefts from the villages of Hatzik and Arapi in the Shirak region.

Based on this incident, a criminal case was initiated by the Shirak Regional Investigative Department under Article 309, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code. The pre-investigation carried out by the RA Special Investigation Service completely refuted the information provided by G. V. In particular, apart from numerous witness testimonies contradicting his statements, on August 9, 2019, G. V. submitted a request to the investigating authority, in which he himself denied the circumstances mentioned in the initial report.

Additionally, an investigative experiment was conducted involving G. V., during which, without any guidance, he pointed out the houses in the Ani district of Gyumri and the villages of Hatzik and Arapi, describing their internal arrangements from which he allegedly attempted or managed to commit thefts.

On August 15, 2019, a decision was made to terminate the proceedings based on the absence of the crime. On the same day, a criminal case was initiated under Article 333, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code (false accusations). On September 6, G. V. was charged under the same article, after which the criminal case was sent to the Shirak Regional Court of General Jurisdiction with an accusatory conclusion.

On August 12, 2020, the court found G. V. guilty under Article 333, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code, sentencing him to a two-month detention, which was conditionally not applied based on Article 70 of the RA Criminal Code, establishing a probationary period of one year.

In another criminal case investigated by the RA Special Investigation Service, sufficient evidence was gathered to charge V. G. for unjustly accusing a senior investigator of the Malatia-Sebastia administrative division of faking evidence in a criminal case regarding a serious crime, knowing that the information he provided was false. The pre-investigation fully refuted the attributed criminal acts against the investigator. In particular, V. G. testified that the senior investigator did not introduce false information in his testimony; he admitted he had actually witnessed the crime, and he justified giving a false report by saying he thought it would help his friend involved in the case as a victim.

Moreover, the friend, who was the victim, also testified that V. G. witnessed the crime, and during the inspection of the crime scene, V. G. pointed out the event site without any interference, which was confirmed by witness testimonies and photographs. The criminal case was sent to the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan with an accusatory conclusion, where it was joined to another criminal case against V. G. due to the fact that he was charged under Article 34-177, Part 2, Points 1 and 3 of the RA Criminal Code, for attempting to secretly steal significant amounts of someone else's property from an adjacent basement of one of the houses on Shahumyan Street in Yerevan, in complicity with his friend.

Before the trial began, V. G. recognized his guilt regarding the charges against him and requested the court to apply expedited proceedings, which was granted. By the ruling of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan on August 17, 2020, he was found guilty of the crimes specified in Article 333, Part 2, Point 1, and Article 34-177, Part 2, Points 1 and 3 of the RA Criminal Code, and was sentenced to six months of imprisonment and a fine of 800,000 AMD. The punishment in the form of imprisonment was conditionally not applied based on Article 70 of the RA Criminal Code, establishing a probation period of one and a half years.