One Person Charged in Social Security Abuse Case, Two Arrested

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has uncovered several circumstances regarding alleged abuses in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Following various investigative actions carried out by the Central and Norq-Marash investigative divisions in Yerevan, it was revealed that on December 19, 2019, a contract was signed between the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and a private company to acquire protected housing and small houses.

According to the agreement, the company was obligated to supply the Ministry with products that met the technical specifications set forth in the contract, while the Ministry was required to accept the products and make payments accordingly. It was noted that the purchased houses were supposed to be habitable, yet an official document, deemed a positive conclusion without a date, was issued by a leading specialist from the Ministry's procurement and economic affairs department, claiming that the supplied products conformed to the required specifications. However, the acquired houses were found to need repairs and were not fit for habitation.

Based on sufficient evidence, the chief specialist of the Ministry's procurement and economic affairs department has been charged under Article 308 (Abuse of Office) of the Criminal Code of Armenia and Article 314 (Official Forgery) of the Criminal Code of Armenia. Additionally, during the pre-trial investigation on February 11, 2021, the head of the procurement coordination and economic affairs division and an advisor coordinating specific functions in structural subdivisions were also arrested under suspicion of abusing their official powers and committing official forgery. The investigation is ongoing.

Note: A suspect or accused is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia, based on a legally binding verdict from the court.