Charges Filed Against Shengavit Deputy Prosecutor and Three Other Detained Individuals

A charge has been filed against the deputy prosecutor of the Shengavit administrative district and three other individuals detained within the same criminal case. A motion to place them in custody has been submitted to the court.

This information was released by the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia, stating: “Based on materials prepared by the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia regarding the acceptance of a particularly large bribe by a high-ranking official, facts have been established during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case currently being examined by the Anti-Corruption Committee.”

The statements indicate that K.N., while holding the position of deputy prosecutor of the Shengavit administrative district in Yerevan, personally received a bribe in the amount of 2,500,000 AMD from N.D. between January and May 2022, with the assistance of G.G. and N.A., to facilitate the imposition of a lenient sentence on N.D., who was facing criminal charges.

According to the charges, K.N. allegedly arranged a meeting with N.D. on January 16, 2022, in the village of Voskahat in Armavir province, where he discussed the circumstances of the criminal case against him. During the meeting, K.N. promised to use his official position to influence the court’s decision regarding a sentence that would allow for N.D. to be exempted from punishment based on an amnesty law. To secure this, K.N. allegedly demanded a bribe of 2,500,000 AMD from N.D.

On May 17, 2022, N.D. was sentenced to six years in prison by the Armavir Province Court of General Jurisdiction, providing him the opportunity to seek release based on the amnesty law adopted on November 1, 2018.

On May 19, 2022, K.N. met with G.G. and received 2,000,000 AMD of the requested bribe. The remaining 460,000 AMD was transferred on May 31, 2022, by N.D., with the help of N.A., to the bank account of an acquaintance of G.G., who cashed out the money on the same day and passed it to the official through G.G.

On June 9, 2022, based on a decision by an investigator from the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia, K.N., N.D., and the accomplices were detained for accepting a particularly large bribe.

On June 10, 2022, K.N. was charged under Article 311, Part 4, Clause 2 of the RA Criminal Code for receiving a particularly large bribe. N.D. was charged under Article 312, Part 3, Clause 1 of the Criminal Code (Giving a bribe, which was committed particularly large); while N.A. and G.G. were charged under Article 38-311, Part 4, Clause 2 for aiding in the acceptance of a bribe.

The investigator of the Anti-Corruption Committee has submitted motions to the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction to choose custody as a measure of restraint for all the indicated defendants. The preliminary investigation is ongoing.