Municipal Officials Accepted Bribes for Illegal Construction: Anti-Corruption Committee

The Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia has established sufficient evidence regarding a criminal case being investigated against officials of the Yerevan City Hall. According to the findings, A. S., the head of the Territorial Third Division of the Urban Development and Land Control Department, and his colleague K. S. conspired with individual A. B. to accept a large bribe in exchange for ignoring clear illegal actions.

As reported by the Anti-Corruption Committee, K. S. discovered that resident A. B. had constructed a balcony in the yard of a building without the necessary permits in March 2022. He informed A. B. that an administrative penalty of 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 AMD was anticipated for this violation and suggested that A. B. visit the City Hall the following day for a meeting with department head A. S. to discuss the issue.

On April 11, 2022, A. B. visited the Yerevan City Hall where A. S. and K. S. explicitly demanded a bribe of 300,000 AMD, leveraging their official positions. A. B. accepted their offer, and thereafter, K. S. repeatedly insisted on receiving the bribe, threatening administrative repercussions if he did not comply.

On April 28, 2022, A. B. handed the 300,000 AMD bribe to K. S. in his vehicle, shortly after which K. S. was apprehended by officers of the RA Police, and the bribe money was seized during the vehicle inspection.

A. S. and K. S. are charged under Part 3, Articles 2 and 3 of Article 311 of the RA Criminal Code. They have been remanded in custody. A. B. faces charges under Part 2 of Article 312 of the same code.

The pre-trial investigation has concluded, and the case has been sent to the supervising prosecutor for approval and subsequent submission to the court.

Note: An individual suspected or accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a legally binding court verdict, in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia.