10 Years of Exploiting a Person, Turning Their House into a Henhouse, Embezzling Disability Benefits

The investigation by the Lori regional investigative department of the RA Investigative Committee into the case of trafficking a person in a helpless condition has been completed. During the investigation, it was revealed that G.H., aware of L.Sh.'s helpless condition, specifically her mental health issues, had been continuously exploiting her for nearly the last 10 years.

Specifically, G.H. removed L.Sh. from her apartment and placed her in a building with significantly worse living conditions adjacent to her residence, providing only the minimum living conditions. Meanwhile, he turned her former home into a henhouse and used it as a storage for his personal belongings, placing a separate lock on the entrance and keeping the key with him.

Additionally, G.H. made L.Sh. work for free in cultivating his backyard and garden, and in taking care of the chickens kept in the victim's apartment. He took away her pension and disability benefits provided by state support programs, forcing the victim to resort to begging to secure her livelihood and collect garbage to heat her living space.

A public criminal prosecution has been initiated against G.H. under the first part of Article 189 of the Criminal Code (trafficking or exploitation of a child or a person in a helpless state). The criminal case has been sent to the supervising prosecutor with an accusatory conclusion to be approved and forwarded to the court for substantial examination.