Former Head of Martuni Military Commission Charged with Accepting Bribe for Draft Exemption

The military investigation department of the Armenian Investigative Committee has concluded the preliminary investigation into a case involving a 49-year-old resident of Gegharkunik who allegedly bribed officials to exempt his conscripted son from military service.

According to the multi-faceted investigation, it has been established that this resident of Gegharkunik negotiated with the former head of the draft department at the Martuni military commission to exempt his son, who was registered as a conscript, from the summer draft of 2018, in exchange for a bribe. Between November and December of 2017, the man personally handed over a total of $19,000, equivalent to 9,222,600 Armenian drams, to the head of the department in parts.

Furthermore, through this official, the 49-year-old man made arrangements with a resident of Yerevan to obtain necessary medical documents to exempt his son from mandatory military service through manipulation of doctors. According to the agreement, the man transferred $800, equivalent to 388,320 Armenian drams, to the Yerevan resident through his brother.

However, the Yerevan resident, being knowledgeable in the field, realized that the conscript's real health issues could provide legitimate grounds for a deferral from service, and fraudulently took the money without providing the promised documents.

Based on sufficient evidence, charges have been brought against the conscript's father under Article 436, Part 3, Clause 2, and Article 44-436, Part 3, Clause 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code. The former head of the draft department has been charged under Article 435, Part 2, Clause 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code. The cases involving the two individuals have been separated into a distinct procedure, which has concluded its preliminary investigation, and the materials of the criminal case, along with the accusatory conclusion, have been sent to the Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the aforementioned Yerevan resident attempted to exempt several other individuals from mandatory military service through the acceptance of bribes. The investigation regarding this Yerevan resident continues. Necessary measures are being undertaken to identify any other individuals who may have provided bribes to him.

Notice: The accused is considered innocent until proven guilty by a court ruling that has entered into legal force in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia.