Eco Rangers Allowed Illegal Logging for Bribes

The investigation carried out by the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia has established that the chief eco ranger of the Tavush regional administration of the Ministry of Environment, in collusion with another chief eco ranger from the same area, received bribes from several individuals for their inaction against illegal logging activities.

Specifically, it has been revealed that the aforementioned eco rangers accepted various amounts of money from residents of Tavush to refrain from obstructing illegal tree harvesting activities in the territory of the 'Ijevan' forestry enterprise under the 'Hayantar' SNCO, between May and June 2025. In return for the bribes, the eco rangers took no measures to prevent illegal logging, did not record the fact of illegal logging, and failed to report the apparent crime in accordance with the law, resulting in significant harm to the legitimate interests of the state by concealing the apparent criminal acts and allowing individuals engaged in illegal logging to escape legal liability.

Charges have been brought against the two chief eco rangers under the provisions of Article 435, part 2, clauses 1 and 3 (2 episodes) and Article 441, part 2, clause 4 (2 episodes) of the RA Criminal Code for accepting bribes and abusing their official powers. They have been remanded in custody as a preventive measure.

Individuals who provided bribes to the eco rangers have also been charged under Article 436 of the RA Criminal Code, with two of them placed under house arrest as a preventive measure. The preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings has been completed, and the case materials have been forwarded to the Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia with an accusatory conclusion.

Notification: A person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia by a court decision that has become legally binding.