VIDEO: Official and Bribery Suspect Arrested, NSS Reveals

Multiple instances of bribery involving a local self-government official have been uncovered. This information was reported by the NSS.

According to the NSS statement, "As a result of operational information obtained by the NSS’s Yerevan City Department, it has been revealed that the head of the urban planning and land use division of the administrative district of Avan in Yerevan has, following an agreement with other officials of the same district, demanded and received various amounts of bribe money from citizens engaged in construction work between December 2022 and February 17, 2023. This was to carry out illegal actions or inaction in favor of those who provided bribes, making use of their official powers and causing significant harm to the state and to the rights and legal interests of individuals."

On February 17, 2023, the individual holding the position of head of the urban planning and land use division again used their official powers to grant a construction permit to B. S., who was engaged in construction work in the Avan administrative district, receiving 500,000 AMD in a vehicle registered in Georgia with the license plate "MS 922 MS" before exchanging it for dollars at a currency exchange point. After this, both the bribery suspect and the official were discovered and arrested.

A criminal case has been initiated in the NSS’s investigative department under the relevant articles of the RA Criminal Code. Following the necessary immediate procedural actions, the criminal case has been forwarded to the RA Anti-Corruption Committee for further investigation.