Why Did the Prosecutor of Lori Province Appeal to the Police?

The Prosecutor's Office of Lori Province conducted a review and summarized the state of legality regarding illegal tree felling recorded in the administrative territory of the province during 2020, as well as the implementation process of measures taken in this regard. This was reported by the General Prosecutor's Office.

The study revealed that in 2020, there were 263 cases of illegal tree felling, of which criminal cases were initiated in 138 cases. Seven criminal cases related to illegal logging were initiated against officials responsible for forest protection regarding various apparent corrupt criminal acts. The total damage caused by these criminal cases amounted to 453 million AMD, of which 1,387,780 AMD has been recovered, while measures are being taken to recover the remaining amount.

As for the initiated criminal cases, the preliminary investigation continues in 26 of them, while 29 criminal cases have been sent to court with an indictment conclusion. The study indicates that compared to 2019, the cases of illegal logging increased by 45%. Although this shows the efforts of the Lori Province subdivisions of the Police of the Republic of Armenia and the “Hayantar” SNCO in recording illegal logging of trees, the increase in the number of felling also indicates shortcomings in the control over forest areas, preventive measures, and the process of identifying offenders, which can partially be attributed, especially in relation to the implementation of operational and investigative measures, to the participation of a large number of police officers from the region in military operations during the Artsakh war, as well as the circumstances that temporarily deprived them of their ability to perform their duties.

The existence of problems is particularly evidenced by the relatively high number of suspended cases due to the failure to identify individuals committing illegal logging, which constitutes more than 45% of the criminal cases initiated over the year. Moreover, among the criminal cases that were not revealed, 3,890 illegally felled trees were recorded, causing damages amounting to 250,443,270 AMD.

The study of materials related to such criminal cases indicates that some incidents occurred in plain sight and were of a prolonged and ongoing nature, yet clearly remained outside the purview of the responsible state bodies for forest protection.

Based on the above circumstances revealed by the study and especially considering that such negative trends have manifested amid numerous requests sent by the provincial prosecutor's office to competent entities aimed at taking effective and actionable measures against illegal tree felling, the Prosecutor of Lori Province, Karen Gabrielyan, has appealed to the Deputy Chief of the Police of the Republic of Armenia regarding the activation of police functions concerning these issues.

Specifically, the letter emphasized the urgent necessity of establishing daily supervision in forested areas of the administrative territory of Lori Province, monitoring the movement of vehicles with all-terrain capabilities and cargo in forested settlements, increasing controls over the activities of artisanal logging and logging companies operating in these settlements and adjacent areas, and setting up enhanced service 24/7 on roads leading out of settlements with forested areas in Lori Province. Special attention is given to the active cooperation of the police services with the branches of the “Hayantar” SNCO servicing the administrative territory of Lori Province and the territorial division of the Environmental and Mining Inspection of the Republic of Armenia to undertake comprehensive operational and investigative measures to uncover unaddressed criminal logging cases, the individuals committing them, and any possible corrupt transactions involving officials who facilitate them.