Former Mayor of Stepanavan Arrested: Prosecutor's Office

On September 13, 2021, during the preliminary investigation of a criminal case initiated by the Lori Regional Investigative Department of the Republic of Armenia's Investigative Committee under Part 2 of Article 308 of the RA Criminal Code, factual data was obtained regarding S.G., the former mayor of Stepanavan, Lori region, who allegedly abused his official powers between 2004 and 2012.

It is claimed that S.G. separated land parcels from public land areas designated for parks and state-owned forests, as well as lands belonging to the municipal office, and illegally alienated these parcels for various individuals, including his cousin and the "Revival" charitable foundation he participated in establishing.

Further investigation revealed that with the intention of concealing the criminal origin of the properties, S.G. had formally registered real estate under the names of the aforementioned individuals and transferred a total of 1.433 hectares of land to his cohabiting sons through alienation in 2014 and 2017.

Taking into account that the mentioned data indicate characteristics of a crime aimed at legalizing income obtained through criminal means (money laundering), a criminal case was initiated at the Lori regional prosecutor’s office under Part 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code, which has been connected to the previously mentioned criminal case.

Based on the sufficient combination of evidence obtained, S.G. was charged on October 29 under Part 2 of Article 308 and Part 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code. On the same day, following the order of the prosecutor of Lori region and in accordance with Article 130 of the RA Criminal Procedure Code, a decision was made by the investigating officer to arrest S.G. as a measure of restraint, and he has since been arrested.

Note: A suspect or accused in the alleged crime is considered innocent until proven guilty as prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia by a court judgment that has entered into legal force.