Citizen Charged for Providing Bribery in the Form of Foodstuffs: Special Investigative Service

Based on a sufficient aggregation of evidence in a criminal case being investigated by the Special Investigative Service of the Republic of Armenia regarding bribery during elections, a representative of one of the parties participating in the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for June 20, 2021, identified as A.A., has been charged with committing a criminal act as stipulated in the first and second points of part 4 of Article 154.2 of the RA Criminal Code. He is accused of providing foodstuffs as bribery to voters in the Gegharkunik region's Gavar area to vote in favor of the mentioned party.

The Special Investigative Service informs that, according to the charges, A.A., being included in the list of candidates for parliamentary deputy from the party and coordinating the activities of the Gavar territorial office, with the secretary of that office, S.Z., distributed bribes equivalent to 7,000 AMD in the form of foodstuffs to several voters in the Gavar region of Gegharkunik on June 9, 2021, to vote for the party in the upcoming parliamentary elections on June 20, 2021.

A decision has been made by the investigator of the Special Investigative Service to submit a motion to the court to select pretrial detention as a measure of restraint for A.A. In this criminal case, S.Z. and seven other individuals have the status of suspects. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.