State Caused 37 Million Dram Damage. Charges Filed Against 6 Officials

The fight against illegal logging, as well as the legal assessment of criminal offenses related to the failure of responsible officials to perform their duties in forest protection and the documentation of forest violations, continues to be a priority for the Lori Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia, "During the pre-trial investigation of criminal cases under the supervision of prosecutors of the Lori Regional Prosecutor's Office, sufficient evidence revealed that between October 25-30, 2021, 6 criminal cases were initiated against 3 forest wardens and 3 forest guards of different forest enterprises of the 'Hayantar' SNCO in the Lori region, under Article 315, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. These cases have been sent to the Lori Regional Court of General Jurisdiction for consideration."

The mentioned officials are accused of failing to fulfill their official duties to implement preventive measures and oversight against illegal logging and other violations of forest legislation, which included drafting violation reports when necessary, checking the licensing documents for logging and other types of forest use, and monitoring compliance with these requirements by forest users. They are alleged to have displayed negligent and careless attitudes towards their duties, did not conduct regular inspections in their assigned areas, failed to draft reports on these inspections, and did not detect or document illegally cut trees. As a result, 346 different species and diameters of illegally cut trees were discovered in their areas of oversight, causing significant environmental damage amounting to 37 million AMD.

To recover the damages caused to the state, property belonging to the accused individuals has been seized. In 2021, due to the negligence of officials, specifically forest guards and wardens of various branches of the 'Hayantar' SNCO, two more criminal cases regarding illegal logging involving two individuals were also submitted to the court.

Currently, 27 criminal cases involving forestry officials are under investigation by the Lori Regional Prosecutor's Office, with 29 officials, including forest wardens and guards, as defendants. The Prosecutor of Lori has instructed investigators to ensure the comprehensiveness and completeness of these cases and to expedite their submission to the court.

Additionally, during 2021, 47 recommendations were sent to the director of the 'Hayantar' SNCO targeting the elimination of conditions and causes facilitating official crimes related to illegal logging. As a result, 12 officials faced penalties in the form of warnings and reprimands, while 7 individuals were dismissed from their positions.

The Lori Regional Prosecutor has also sent a letter to the acting director of the 'Hayantar' SNCO to take measures to ensure the mandatory implementation of the requirements established by the Order No. 80-N of the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia dated May 6, 2013, regarding the rules for logging timber in state and community forests, particularly concerning the registration and stamping of firewood before transfer to buyers. The absence of these requirements has complicated the specificity of determining the actual period of acquisition of the identified timber, especially in cases where individuals present documents drawn up later.

In a received response, it has been confirmed that the issues raised by the regional prosecutor have been discussed at the 'Hayantar' SNCO, and as a result, all branch directors have been instructed to enforce strict oversight over the fulfillment of the aforementioned regulatory requirements.