High-Ranking Officers Arrested: Details

The Investigative Committee of Armenia reports that as a result of extensive investigative and other procedural actions carried out within the framework of a criminal case initiated by the Military Prosecutor's Office of Armenia’s Department for the Protection of State Interests, crucial details have emerged.

According to the findings, Colonel A.K., the head of logistics and communal services of military unit N, coordinated with Lieutenant Colonel T.P., the head of the property services of the same military unit, to embezzle six unused military tents from the unit’s inventory in July 2021. To achieve this, A.K. and T.P. falsely recorded the tents as permanently lost due to military operations during the aggressive war unleashed by Azerbaijan from September 27 to November 9, 2020, artificially creating a surplus of these items and thus embezzling tents valued at 6,726,000 AMD.

Subsequently, A.K. and T.P. reached a criminal agreement to sell the stolen tents to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. To finalize their criminal intent, A.K. obtained preliminary consent from Colonel A.T., the head of the main logistics department of the RA Armed Forces General Staff. Additionally, A.K. also secured preliminary approval from his brother, E.K., and his associate, K.R., to supply the stolen property to the Ministry of Defense.

On August 10, 2021, K.R. and A.K. visited the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense, where they met with Colonel A.T. and reached an agreement regarding the procurement of the tents. Colonel A.T., as a public official responsible for the accumulation and preservation of the material assets of the armed forces, abused his official position for group interests, leading to significant material consequences. A.T. initiated the procurement process for the six tents from the Ministry of Defense, aware of their stolen status from A.K., resulting in the tents being supplied to the central property base of the Ministry of Defense before the purchase contract was signed. On August 20, the purchase agreement for the tents was signed between K.R. and the Ministry of Defense, followed by payment being made.

Based on suspicions regarding the commission of these criminal actions, A.K., A.T., E.K., and K.R. have been arrested. A.T. has been charged under Article 375, Part 3 of the RA Criminal Code (abuse of power or official position by a leader or official, resulting in significant material consequences), A.K. under Article 179, Part 3, Point 1 (embezzlement committed on a particularly large scale), and Article 216, Part 3, Point 1 (sale of property obtained through clearly criminal means by a group of individuals acting in concert on a particularly large scale). T.P. has been charged under Article 179, Part 3, Point 1, E.K. under Article 38-216, Part 3, Point 1, and K.R. under Article 216, Part 3, Point 1 of the RA Criminal Code. A.K. and A.T. are subjected to detention as a measure of restraint. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

Note: A suspected or accused individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia by a court verdict that has entered into legal force.