4416 Trees Illegally Cut in Lori Region's Forests in 2020; 11 Criminal Cases Launched

Based on factual data obtained from suspended criminal cases related to illegal logging in the "Tumanyan and Stepanavan Forestry" branches of the "Hayantar" State Non-Commercial Organization, prosecutors from the Lori region's prosecutor's office initiated 11 criminal cases under various parts of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia during the time period from March 1-9, 2021.

These cases concern several officials from the aforementioned branches who, due to negligent or careless treatment of their duties, failed to perform their obligations or did so improperly, resulting in significant damage to the legal interests of the state and causing other severe consequences.

Through the verification of the legality of the decisions on the suspension of the proceedings, and by reviewing the case materials, it was found that numerous violations in forestry management were recorded in 2020 in 10 divisions of the Tumanyan and Stepanavan forests, totaling 4416 illegally felled tree stumps of various species and diameters. The total damage caused to the flora and the state is approximately 182 million AMD.

However, the initial investigation did not succeed in identifying the perpetrators of the offenses, leading to the decisions to suspend the cases under different parts of Article 296 of the Criminal Code. It was determined that a substantial number of illegal logging activities might have occurred due to responsible officials of "Hayantar" failing to adequately perform their duties.

In light of this information, the prosecutors revoked those decisions and ordered the initiation of criminal proceedings, assigning the complete, objective, and comprehensive investigation to the Lori regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. The prosecutor of the region instructed the preliminary investigation body to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation to provide a legal assessment of the actions of the specified officials, with relevant actions to be taken.

Simultaneously, the prosecutor's office submitted a request to the head of the Lori regional police department to take measures to eliminate the circumstances that facilitated the commission of the crime, including preventing and uncovering similar crimes, and holding negligent employees accountable.

It should be noted that in line with the criminal policy adopted by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia to combat illegal logging, especially in cases of significant illegal tree cutting, it is mandatory to investigate the failure to fulfill or the improper execution of responsibilities by officials responsible for the protection of these forestry divisions, as well as any circumstances that may suggest complicity in illegal logging, which has been ensured in this case.