Defense Ministry Officials Received $50,000 Bribe for Exempting Soldiers from Service

According to information obtained from the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, a criminal case has been initiated by the Anti-Corruption Committee based on the data provided, confirming that A.V., while serving as the head of the conscription division of one of the territorial departments of the Ministry of Defense, along with another head of a different territorial subdivision A.H. and several other officials, utilized their influence over the Central Medical Commission to demand and receive significant bribes totaling $50,000 from the relatives of conscription-eligible individuals.

Specifically, the investigation revealed that A.V., in preliminary agreements with these individuals, requested and received a bribe of $25,000 from the relative of a conscript in January 2024 to defer the conscript’s military service by six months. Consequently, based on the conclusion of the Central Medical Commission, a postponement for one year was granted to the conscript.

The investigative actions also established that A.V. and A.H., with the assistance of another department head S.H. and his driver G.G., demanded and received a bribe of $15,000 from the father of another conscript to exempt him from military service, resulting in that conscript being released from mandatory military service based on the ruling of the Central Medical Commission.

Additionally, A.V. accepted a bribe of $5,000 from an acquaintance on January 19, 2024, for the same purpose of exempting another conscript from service, leading to the conscript being recognized as temporarily unfit for service and his military service being delayed until the next call-up.

It was also revealed that A.V., together with A.H. and the ophthalmologist of the territorial subdivision L.H., requested and received $5,000 as a bribe from the father of another conscript in January 2024 to completely exempt the conscript from military service. Following this, the conscript was declared unfit for military service by the Central Territorial Commission of the Ministry of Defense and was subsequently exempted from mandatory military service.

A charge has been filed against A.V. for receiving large and particularly large bribes under Article 435, Part 3, Clause 3 (two episodes), Part 2, Clauses 1, 2, and 3, and Part 2, Clauses 2 and 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. Charges have also been made against eight other individuals for receiving, giving, and assisting in the bribing process, including heads of territorial subdivisions A.H. and S.H. As a precautionary measure, detention has been applied to four of the accused. The investigation into the criminal case against the nine defendants has been completed, and the materials of the case have been sent to court for substantive hearing.

Note: A person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia through a court ruling that has entered into legal force.