Presidential Aircraft Has Made Numerous Flights to Baden-Baden in Violation of Regulations, NSS Opens Criminal Case

David Ioannisyan, program coordinator of the non-governmental organization 'Insight Citizens' Union,' has reported that the aircraft allocated for the service of the President of Armenia was exploited by high-ranking officials between 2008 and 2017, and made several flights at the expense of state resources without operational necessity. This information was disclosed by the Investigative Committee.

Based on the report, it was revealed during the preparation of materials that during the specified period, the aforementioned aircraft made numerous flights to Baden-Baden, Germany (Karlsruhe airport), some of which were organized in violation of regulations, without prior written requests received from the Office of the President of Armenia.

Given that the prepared materials contain indications of an apparent crime regarding the abuse of official powers causing serious consequences by high-ranking officials of the Republic of Armenia, a criminal case was opened on October 11, 2021, at the Special Investigation Service of Armenia under Part 2 of Article 308 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. An investigation is ongoing.

Note: A person suspected or accused of an alleged crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia through a legally binding court verdict.