Prosecutor's Office Files Charges Against 9 Officials

In the context of the strict criminal policy adopted by the Prosecutor's Office of Armenia against illegal logging, the Lori Regional Prosecutor's Office is showing particular diligence in providing mandatory legal assessments for the criminal manifestations of public officials responsible for forest preservation who fail to perform or improperly execute their duties. This was reported by the Armenian General Prosecutor's Office.

"Based on sufficient evidence gathered during the pre-investigation of criminal cases under the supervision of the prosecutors of the regional prosecutor's office, a total of 9 officials, including 6 forest managers and 3 forest rangers, have been charged under Article 315, Part 2 of the RA Criminal Code for the period from July 28, 2021, to September 1, 2021," the statement from the prosecutor's office said.

The pre-investigation established that the officials, who were obliged by their positions to carry out preventive measures and oversight against illegal logging and other violations of the forestry legislation of the Republic of Armenia, due to their indifferent and negligent attitude towards their duties, failed to fulfill their responsibilities properly. Specifically, they did not conduct regular inspections in their designated sectors, resulting in the illegal logging of 1,471 various species and diameters of trees. Consequently, there has been significant damage to the animal and plant world estimated at around 136 million AMD.

The Prosecutor's Office reports that the pre-investigation is ongoing in all these criminal cases. Measures are being taken to ensure the completeness, thoroughness, and objectivity of the cases, restore the damage done to nature, and clarify the possible involvement of other individuals.

During this period, due to the negligent performance of his duties by an official from the "Hayantar" SNCO's Stepanavan Forest Management Branch, one criminal case related to illegal logging was sent to court.

In June of this year, it was reported that based on the assessment of sufficient data obtained during the pre-investigation of the initiated criminal cases, another 18 officials, including forest managers, forest rangers, and engineers from various forest enterprises in Lori Province of the "Hayantar" SNCO, had also been charged under Article 315, Part 2 and Article 314, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code during the first five months of 2021.

Considering the circumstances established during the investigation and the fact that in several cases of illegal logging from the province's forests, it was established that significant logging had continued for an extended period in plain sight, and that the timber was removed from the forest enterprise's territory without any barriers, it means that the relevant police services also did not carry out proper oversight. The prosecutor of Lori Province has addressed a letter to the first deputy chief of the RA Police, specifically indicating the necessary measures to be taken to prevent illegal logging and strengthen oversight of forests in the province.