18 Officials Charged for Forest Conservation Failures

The fight against illegal logging and associated corruption is being vigorously pursued in the Lori Province of Armenia, as reported by the Prosecutor's Office.

As a result of the consistent efforts of the Lori Provincial Prosecutor's Office and the effective prosecution oversight, a total of 18 officials from various forest enterprises have been charged for illegal logging offenses. These include heads of forests, forest guards, and engineers, based on articles 315, part 2, and 314, part 1, of the Armenian Criminal Code, following investigations into criminal cases initiated in 2021.

During the preliminary investigations, sufficient evidence has been gathered proving that these officials, by virtue of their positions, failed to carry out preventive measures and to monitor illegal logging and other violations of Armenian forest legislation. They neglected their duty to record instances of forest violations, inspect documentation related to timber harvesting, livestock grazing, haymaking, and other forest usage rights, and establish oversight on the compliance of forest users.

By not performing their official duties properly, they did not conduct regular inspections of the designated areas under their supervision, instead creating false records of non-existent illegal logging. As a result, a total of 943 trees of various species and diameters have been recorded as felled, causing significant damage to the animal and plant world, amounting to over 31 million AMD.

Investigations into all criminal cases are ongoing. Measures are being taken to ensure the completeness, comprehensiveness, and objectivity of the cases, including the restoration of damages caused to nature and to determine the involvement of any other individuals as well as to provide legal assessments of their actions. The prosecutor of Lori Province is submitting requests to the competent authorities aimed at suspending the ongoing activities of those officials who are still in office.