Customs Chief to Be Summoned for Questioning by NSS

According to exclusive information from the «Asphalt» newspaper, the National Security Service is preparing to summon the head of the Eastern Customs Administration, Haik Mirzoyan, for questioning.

On January 25 of this year, the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia uncovered multiple cases of officials from the State Revenue Committee receiving bribes. In particular, the officials did not take action against abuses carried out by certain economic operators and demanded and received bribes in Armenian drams or foreign currency in varying amounts, including large sums, between November 2022 and January 11, 2023.

Based on evidence of the commission of crimes during the pre-investigation, public criminal proceedings have been initiated against 15 individuals in accordance with the relevant articles of the Armenian Criminal Code, 12 of whom have been selected for pretrial detention.

It is noteworthy that the revelation of this corruption scheme has also raised questions about the future of State Revenue Committee Chairman Rustam Badasyan's position. However, based on the current situation, he has been given time to rectify the matter, and for now, the issue of his dismissal has been put on hold, as it has also been reported that Badasyan was not personally involved in this corrupt scheme. It is also possible that he will be summoned for questioning soon.

Details in today's issue of the newspaper.