Operational Gas Station Causes Over 37 Million Damage to the State

The gas station operating in the city of Gyumri has caused significant damage to the state by failing to pay more than 37 million drams in taxes. According to the Information and Public Relations Department of the RA State Revenue Committee, the business entity engaged in gas refueling has not submitted the required income tax, social security payment, VAT, and excise duty calculations to the tax authorities in the legally established manner and within the prescribed deadlines.

During the pre-trial investigation, it was revealed that the business intentionally created conditions of insolvency, resulting in substantial damage to the state. The organization was declared bankrupt by a ruling of the RA Bankruptcy Court back in 2019, leading to the initiation of liquidation proceedings. However, contrary to the legal demands of the bankruptcy administrator, the company continued to illegally provide gas refueling services in Gyumri.

During this time, no documentation was prepared regarding the volumes of gas sold by the business, nor were the relevant calculations submitted to the tax authorities, resulting in evasion of an especially large amount of taxes exceeding 37 million 334 thousand AMD due to the state budget.

As a result, in 2020, the director of the organization was charged under part 2 of Article 205 of the RA Criminal Code. The investigation revealed that after the charges were filed, the director continued gas refueling activities without issuing sales documentation. Furthermore, the director submitted written objections against the legal actions taken by the investigative body to suspend the company’s operations.

In order to prevent the illegal activities of the business entity and determine the final amount of damage incurred by the state, the investigator of the SRC’s investigative department made a decision to seize the gas station's distribution towers. The compressed natural gas filling distribution towers, which were involved in illegal activities in Gyumri, were dismantled as they were recognized as material evidence and relocated to another area.

The criminal investigation is ongoing, and necessary measures are being taken to ascertain the final amount of damage caused to the state by the business entity.