Bribes of 10,000-100,000 Drams Demanded from Students and Their Parents: Details

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has charged 22 individuals in connection with a criminal case involving the Gyumri branch of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia.

According to the statement from the Investigative Committee, the investigation regarding the receiving of bribes by the faculty of the Gyumri branch and the giving of bribes by students has been completed. This case was initiated by the National Security Service and subsequently handed over to the Investigative Committee.

As a result of investigative actions, factual evidence has been obtained indicating that certain officials and lecturers from various departments at the Gyumri branch, with the assistance of the organization's operators and clerks, were engaging in blatant illegal activities in favor of students. Specifically, from February to June 2021, they demanded and received bribes ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 Armenian drams from each student, as well as from their parents, in exchange for assigning passing grades during examinations, despite the students' lack of preparation.

The investigation has established that the operators and clerks had close relationships with the students, facilitating agreements between them and the lecturers regarding the bribes. They collected the bribe money from students and forwarded it to the lecturers, who in turn provided a share of the money to the clerks.

Based on the evidence collected, charges have been brought against 11 lecturers under Part 2 of Article 311 of the RA Criminal Code, which corresponds to Part 2, Clause 3 of the current Article 435. Additionally, charges have been filed against two clerks under Part 1 of Article 313 (corresponding to Part 1 of Article 437) and against nine students and parents under Part 2 of Article 312 (corresponding to Part 1 of Article 436). The criminal case, with a prosecutorial conclusion, has been forwarded to the prosecutor for filing with the court.