Official Charged with Accepting $23,000 Bribe to Exempt Three Soldiers from Service

The head of the conscription department of the Defense Ministry's recruitment and mobilization service has been accused of receiving approximately 9 million drams in bribes to exempt three soldiers from mandatory military service or to declare them temporarily unfit for service.

This information has been reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia. According to the ongoing investigation by the Anti-Corruption Committee, the department head received bribes from three individuals: from A.T., an amount equivalent to $10,000 (3 million 880 thousand drams), from G.G. $8,000 (3 million 103 thousand drams), and from K.E. $5,000 (1 million 938 thousand drams).

On September 30, 2024, the prosecutor initiated public criminal proceedings against the head of the conscription department under parts 2 and 3 of Article 435 of the Criminal Code (receiving a large bribe for overlooking, protecting, or engaging in other illegal actions or failures to act at the behest of the briber or their designated person). The suspect has been taken into custody as a preventive measure.

On December 6, 2024, the prosecutor confirmed the indictment and submitted the case materials to the Anti-Corruption Court.