Criminal 'Authority' Accused of Extorting $20,000 from Armenian Citizen Deported and Arrested

In April 2016, a criminal case was initiated under part 2 of article 182 of the RA Criminal Code, which is being investigated by the main department of special cases of the RA Investigative Committee. During the investigation, an individual with a high ranking in organized crime was identified and arrested on charges of extortion.

According to the factual data obtained during the investigation, a Georgian citizen, identified as V.A., while in Armenia in March 2016, met with a group of individuals on March 26 at around 14:00 in one of the restaurants on Komitas Avenue in Yerevan. They acted in agreement as a group, presenting themselves as 'criminal authorities' and applying violence against a citizen of Armenia who had been summoned to the restaurant on their orders. They threatened the victim with violence against their family members, demanding the transfer of a large sum of money equivalent to 20,000 USD, approximately 9,600,000 AMD.

After learning that the victim had arrived at the restaurant in a 'Range Rover Sport,' the assailants demanded the keys to the vehicle as a guarantee for the demanded sum. With no alternative, the citizen handed over the car keys under V.A.'s persistent demand, after which the vehicle was moved from the relevant parking area on Komitas Avenue to the back of the restaurant, and the victim left the location.

Based on the collected evidence, on May 5, 2016, a decision was made to charge V.A. according to part 2 of article 182 of the previous criminal code, which corresponds to part 3 of article 258 of the current criminal code, and a motion was submitted to the court to select pre-trial detention as a measure of restraint, which was granted. A warrant was issued for V.A.'s arrest.

He was located and detained in the Czech Republic. Following the appropriate legal procedures, he was transferred to the Republic of Armenia on June 30, 2023. V.A. has been formally charged under the aforementioned article of the RA Criminal Code, and a motion has been submitted to the court for reconsideration of the detention applied against him. The court has ruled to apply detention as a precautionary measure for a period of one month. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.