28,000 USD Bribe to Evade Service: Ministry of Defense Official's Case in Court

The investigation carried out by Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee has provided evidence that a staff member of the Ministry of Defense's conscription and mobilization service in the Syunik region has demanded and received a total bribe of 28,000 USD from various individuals in exchange for facilitating actions in favor of conscripts and providing patronage.

Specifically, it was revealed that G. H., a resident of Yerevan, reached an agreement with the mentioned official of the Ministry of Defense in the summer of 2023 to have his conscript son declared unfit for military service on the false grounds of a fictitious illness, in exchange for a bribe. In order to implement their criminal intent, they took coordinated actions that resulted in G. H.’s son being formally registered in one of the communities of the Syunik region, thus falling under the jurisdiction of the division led by the Ministry of Defense official.

Subsequently, in line with the pre-arranged agreement, the official utilized his authority and influence to carry out the illegal act in favor of G. H.’s son and personally received a bribe of 23,000 USD from G. H. on May 21, 2023.

Moreover, the preliminary investigation revealed that the aforementioned official, having a close relationship with one of the servicemen from the Ministry of Defense’s conscription and mobilization service in the Syunik region, made arrangements through this intermediary with a couple residing in the Kapan community, for a bribe of 5,000 USD to perform an action in favor of their son. This included intervening in the conscription process if necessary and guaranteeing the processing of deferments.

As a result, after receiving the bribe through the intermediary, the conscript was granted a deferral from mandatory military service by the Ministry of Defense official.

For the aforementioned criminal acts, charges have been filed against the official under points 3 of part 3 of Article 435, part 2 of Article 435, points 2 and 3, and against the individuals who provided the bribe and acted as intermediaries under point 2 of part 3 of Article 436, points 1, 2, and 3 of part 2 of Article 436, and part 1 of Article 437 of the Criminal Code. The preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings has been completed, the prosecutor has confirmed the indictment, and the materials of the case have been sent to court for substantive examination.