Instances of Bribery Involving Tax Committee Employees Uncovered

As a result of joint efforts by the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia and the National Security Service, instances of bribery involving employees of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) related to the import of perfumes into Armenia and the export of tobacco from the country have been uncovered. These activities involved a failure to conduct proper customs oversight and allowing goods to pass through the border without hindrance in exchange for bribes.

According to a statement issued by the Anti-Corruption Committee, during the investigation, it was revealed that a citizen of Armenia, an individual entrepreneur identified as A. Kh., contacted his acquaintance, temporarily suspended SRC official A. M., to help him evade customs oversight for the imported perfumes and avoid paying legally required customs duties. A. M. agreed to assist A. Kh. and coordinated with a competent official from the SRC to facilitate the illegal action, demanding a bribe of 300 euros, equivalent to 151,608 Armenian drams.

As a result, officials conducting customs checks at the "Zvartnots" International Airport discovered the perfume, which was subject to customs declaration, in A. Kh.'s luggage, but it was not declared due to the intervention of the official who accepted the bribe.

Additionally, A. Kh. sought assistance from his acquaintance A. M. once again for the unregulated export of 120 boxes of tobacco from Armenia. The competent official at the SRC demanded and received a bribe of 120,000 drams, charging 1,000 drams for each box of tobacco. Consequently, A. Kh. left the country by concealing the 120 boxes of tobacco in his luggage.

Furthermore, A. Kh. again approached the aforementioned individuals for assistance in hiding imported perfumes and cosmetics from customs oversight and avoiding legally mandated customs payments. The competent SRC official demanded a bribe of 120,000 drams for these illegal actions, but A. Kh. did not transfer the money to A. M. as the perfume and cosmetics subject to declaration were discovered and confiscated by the SRC's anti-smuggling unit during the inspection of A. Kh.'s luggage at "Zvartnots" International Airport.

A. Kh. has been charged under the first part of Article 312 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (three episodes), while A. M. has been charged under the first part of Article 313 (three episodes). Both A. Kh. and A. M. have been taken into custody as a preventive measure. The materials of the criminal case have been handed over to the supervising prosecutor for confirmation and submission to the court with a request for prosecution.

Notice: The individual suspected or accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia by a court decision that has entered into legal force.