14 Million USD Bribe: Former Minister of Environment of Armenia Charged

The Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia has announced that the investigation into the criminal case regarding the former Minister of Environment, Aram Harutyunyan, who is accused of receiving a bribe of 14 million USD, money laundering, and other corruption-related offenses, has concluded.

The investigation revealed that Aram Harutyunyan was involved in corrupt practices with the former Member of Parliament, Aleksan Petrosyan, former Deputy Director of a state body under the ministry, Suren Avagyan, former director of the psychiatric hospital in Sevan, Gagik Karapetyan, and close associates of Harutyunyan, including Arax Dilanyan and Viktor Martirosyan.

According to the charges, Harutyunyan, who served as the Minister of Environment from June 8, 2007, demanded a bribe of 14 million USD from businessman Silva Hambardzumyan to facilitate permits for the exploitation of mines on his behalf. As a result, between January and November 2008, Harutyunyan fulfilled his promise and, through Suren Avagyan, received a bribe of 6 million USD from Hambardzumyan.

The remaining portion of the bribe, amounting to 8 million USD, was received by Harutyunyan with the help of his associates through transfers to different accounts opened in the United Arab Emirates. Subsequently, the funds were transferred to the accounts of Harutyunyan's close associates, Gagik Karapetyan, Armen Khachatryan, and Viktor Martirosyan.

At Harutyunyan’s request, his associates traveled to the UAE, where they cashed part of the transferred funds, managed them on his instructions, and transferred 3 million USD to the joint account of Harutyunyan and his wife, Hasmik Abgaryan, at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

Afterward, Harutyunyan traveled to the UAE, where on February 20, 2010, by cashing part of the bribe and making transfers to other accounts, he used the funds for personal purposes.

Taking into account that the accused, Aram Harutyunyan, Suren Avagyan, and Gagik Karapetyan, evaded participation in the criminal process, a decision was made to conduct the proceedings in absentia.

Harutyunyan has been charged under Article 311, Part 4, Clause 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code (Receiving a substantial bribe by an organized group), Article 190, Part 3, Clause 1 (Legalizing income obtained through criminal means (money laundering)), and Article 308, Part 2 (Abuse of official authority). Gagik Karapetyan faces charges under the same articles as well as Article 329, Part 1 (Illegal crossing of the state border). Suren Avagyan has been charged under Article 311, Part 4, Clause 2.

As a preventive measure, imprisonment has been chosen for the aforementioned three defendants. A freeze has been placed on their monetary and property assets totaling 30 million USD. The investigation into the criminal case has been completed, and the case has been submitted to the supervising prosecutor for confirmation and forwarding to the court. The other participants involved are currently in procedural phases.