Election Bribery Cases in Ararat Province: Nine Individuals Involved as Suspects in Two Criminal Cases

Cases of bribery in elections have emerged in Ararat Province, with nine individuals involved as suspects in two criminal cases. The Prosecutor's Office has provided details: Based on materials prepared by the RA National Security Service in Ararat Province, factual data were obtained indicating that a group of residents from the city of Masis, having reached prior agreements, offered and promised bribes of 20,000 Armenian drams to several voters listed in the electoral rolls between June 9 and June 19, 2021, to vote in favor of a party alliance and a parliamentary candidate in the extraordinary elections scheduled for June 20, 2021.

Following these incidents, a criminal case was opened at the RA Prosecutor's Office under Article 154.2 (part 1), parts 1 and 2 of part 4, and Article 154.9 (part 1) of the RA Criminal Code. As a result of actions taken during the preliminary investigation by the investigative department of the National Security Service, one individual was arrested on suspicion of giving bribes to two or more individuals by prior agreement.

The second apparent case of election bribery was recorded in the village of Noramarg in Ararat Province. Specifically, operational information was received at the Masis Division of Police regarding the provision of bribes in favor of the party alliance participating in the extraordinary parliamentary elections scheduled for June 20, 2021. The prepared materials revealed that two residents of Noramarg, having reached a prior agreement, were distributing bribes in cash within the territorial area of Noramarg to secure votes for the party alliance participating in the extraordinary elections, visiting residents personally during meetings or achieving agreements around the bribery via mobile communication.

Criminal cases have been initiated within this context at the Masis Division of Police and the Ararat Regional Prosecutor’s Office under part 1 of Article 154.2 and part 2 of part 4 of the same article of the RA Criminal Code. During the investigation, factual data were obtained showing that N.M. reached a verbal agreement with V.H. to "gather" people for voting in favor of the participating party alliance in the elections on June 20, receiving approximately 540,000 Armenian drams from him, which was distributed as bribes to around 36 people for voting in favor of the alliance, giving each person 15,000 Armenian drams. A list of recipients was compiled and provided to V.H.

On June 19, 2021, V.H. was arrested; however, later, the court recognized the arrest as unlawful. Two individuals have been involved as suspects for allegedly giving bribes, while six individuals are suspected of receiving them. A restriction to prevent departure has been selected for seven of them. The criminal case has been transferred under the jurisdiction of the RA Specialized Investigative Service for continued investigation. Measures are also being taken within the framework of both criminal cases to identify the involvement of other individuals and to provide legal assessments of their actions.