Cases of Bribery to Free Conscripts Registered

The Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia has uncovered instances of bribery aimed at free conscripts from mandatory military service during an ongoing multi-episode criminal investigation. The preliminary investigation revealed that individuals in the private sector were receiving, offering, and attempting to offer bribes to public officials, as well as committing various other corruption-related offenses under the guise of bribery.

Specifically, it was found that G. M. intended to facilitate his son's exemption from military service through bribery, despite the absence of legal grounds. He contacted his acquaintance, B. H., a former employee of the Ministry of Defense, who agreed to assist in paying bribes to the relevant officials. Subsequently, upon learning that his acquaintance's friend, A. M., had close relations with a doctor, S. H., from one of the medical centers in Yerevan, he approached A. M. to arrange the exemption process through the aforementioned medical staff.

A. M. met with doctor S. H., who expressed a willingness to discuss the possibility of providing an exemption under the pretext of a fake illness for a bribe of $13,000. On June 17, 2023, the conscript's father transferred the bribe amount to B. H., who then passed it on to A. M. On July 26, 2023, B. H. informed A. M. that an exemption had been granted to his son from military service conscription.

Investigations revealed that S. H. did not actually contact any competent official to finalize the exemption for the conscript, and under the pretext of the bribe, did not demand or receive the aforementioned $13,000 from A. M., who used that amount for personal needs, reportedly losing it in a casino.

Moreover, the preliminary investigation uncovered another case during the 2023 summer conscription period where a different conscript was referred to the same medical center for examination. A. M. again met with S. H. and discussed the matter, then informed the conscript's father, A. P., that a resolution for his son’s exemption could be achieved. Following this, A. M. proposed a bribe to S. H. to continue the necessary medical examinations and create grounds for exemption from conscription, which S. H. accepted. On July 3, 2023, A. M. received a bribe of $300 from the conscript's father.

It is also worth noting that during the preliminary investigation related to this criminal case, two incidents of a public official receiving bribes for issuing driver’s licenses of categories “B” and “C” were revealed.