Community Lands Have Been Seized: The Mayor of Araks Has Been Charged

The investigation into the criminal case related to illegal seizure of community-owned lands has been completed at the Regional Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia in the Armavir region. This was reported by the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

“As a result of investigative and procedural actions conducted during the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the head of the Araks community in the Armavir region, who held this position from 2016 to 2021, as a public official, deliberately failed to exercise his powers in the field of land use as prescribed by the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Local Self-Government, and did not take measures to stop the illegal seizure of land plots belonging to the community.

Specifically, during inspections carried out by the head of the Environmental and Mining Inspection Body based on relevant assignments, it was determined that four plots of land belonging to the Araks community had been seized, and illegal activities related to the use of natural resources had been conducted in those areas, resulting in land degradation.

Based on the sufficient collected evidence, charges have been brought against the head of the Araks community under Article 315.2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (on four counts). A signature guarantee not to leave has been chosen as a measure of restraint against him. Notification has been made regarding the completion of the preliminary investigation, and the criminal case has been sent to court with an accusatory conclusion.

The investigation into the individuals who seized the land, damaged the soil, and violated the rules of protection and use of the subsoil is ongoing,” the statement said.