Violations in Cemeteries: What Is Being Done to Squeeze Extra Money?

Following inspections conducted in 2020, various cemetery managers were reassigned to other cemeteries and continued their criminal activities for about two years. Corruption-related unlawful violations have been recorded in the "Special Services to the Population" State Non-Commercial Organization operating in the cemetery services sector in Yerevan. This information was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia.

At the Yerevan Prosecutor's Office, materials related to criminal cases regarding these incidents have been studied, and it has become clear that even after inspections conducted in 2020 by a working group established by the order of the Yerevan Mayor, blatant violations continue to be registered in various cemeteries.

Several cemetery managers, despite the violations noted during inspections, have been reassigned to other cemeteries as managers or have not been dismissed from their positions and have continued their criminal activities. For example, it has been revealed within the framework of a criminal case that the gravesites allocated by the “Silikian” open cemetery exceeded the legally established limits. The cemetery manager restored damages amounting to 1 million 530 thousand AMD during the preliminary investigation, but continued to exhibit criminal behavior parallel to the criminal case investigation. He has been chosen for incarceration as a preventive measure.

Even in cemeteries where former managers have been dismissed, similar violations have persisted, and the same mechanisms have been at play. Specifically, cemetery managers, without the right to allocate new burial sites in closed cemeteries, have filled out obviously false grave cards, including facts that relatives of the deceased were supposedly buried in the newly allocated areas. Based on this, new burial sites have been allocated in land areas that belong to communities or other private persons outside the cemetery boundaries.

Additionally, it has been established that there are numerous graves occupying areas beyond the legally defined maximum limits, resulting in space shortages within the burial grounds. Within the framework of ongoing criminal cases regarding bribery, it has become apparent that cemetery managers or overseers have demanded money from citizens under the pretext of conducting burial site construction.

According to the charter of the “Special Services to the Population” State Non-Commercial Organization, the organization may carry out certain types of entrepreneurial activities, including digging graves and improving cemeteries, such as paving or concreting, etc. There is a clearly defined price list for these services, and payments should also be made through the organization’s accounting.

This means that cemetery managers and overseers do not have the authority to provide such services. However, bypassing legal channels, cemetery managers and overseers offer the provision of these services and also include other fees.

The investigation of the criminal case materials has shown that legislative regulation alone is not enough to ensure compliance with the legally mandated maximum dimensions of burial sites. Mechanisms need to be developed to detect and eliminate land encroachments by citizens.

In light of these circumstances, Yerevan Prosecutor Sevak Hovhannisyan has submitted a memorandum with concrete proposals aimed at eliminating ongoing criminal violations and widespread corrupt schemes to the Mayor of Yerevan. Upcoming specific proposals presented to the Yerevan City Hall by the Prosecutor's Office of Yerevan will also be announced.