Charges Filed Against Forest Ranger in Tavush for Accepting AMD 5.79 Million Bribe

According to the details of the criminal case, the forest ranger of the non-commercial state organization "Hayantar" allowed residents of the Tavush region to carry out illegal logging in various compartments due to personal interest while showing negligent behavior towards his duties, resulting in significant damage to the state. This was reported by the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia.

The investigation regarding the forest ranger of "Hayantar" who received a bribe of AMD 5.79 million from the residents of Tavush for the illegal felling of trees and transporting them without permission has been completed at the Tavush regional investigative division of the Investigative Committee of RA. The investigation revealed that between 2015 and 2018, a total of 102 trees of various species and diameters were illegally cut down, causing a damage of AMD 10,117,500 to the state.

The preliminary investigation has established and substantiated that the forest ranger of the "Khachardzan" section of the "Ijevan Forestry Enterprise" branch of "Hayantar" failed to adequately perform his assigned duties, namely, did not conduct preventive measures and oversight against illegal logging and other violations of RA forestry legislation. In necessary cases, he did not prepare the relevant forest violation reports nor submitted them to the forest manager, did not check the documents granting the right to harvest timber or any other types of forest use, and did not establish oversight over the compliance of these documents by forest users.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that the forest ranger allowed six residents of Tavush to carry out illegal logging in the areas of the compartments under his protection, illegally prepared wood and transported timber, and in return for not documenting these violations in a lawful manner, he requested and personally received a total of AMD 5.79 million in bribes from them, having pre-arranged the agreements on this matter.

Being aware of these illegal actions regarding logging and timber preparation, the forest ranger had previously informed them about the presence of inspectors in the forest, prohibiting them from going into the forest and sometimes demanding that they hide traces of logging. He even provided them with his stamp to seal the stumps of the trees they had cut.

Based on sufficient evidence obtained, charges have been filed against the forest ranger under Article 311, part 1 (accepting a bribe) and part 3, point 3 (4 episodes), and under part 4, point 2 (2 episodes) of the RA Criminal Code, while six residents of Tavush have been charged with illegal felling of trees, transporting them without permission, and giving various amounts of bribes. A signature as a preventive measure has been chosen for all accused in this criminal case, prohibiting them from leaving the country. The investigation has been completed, and the criminal case has been sent to the court with an accusatory conclusion.