Significant Property Damage Caused to the State: Criminal Case Sent to Court

The Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia has initiated a criminal case based on a report received from the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia. Extensive evidence collection and various procedural actions revealed that on December 10, 2025, the head of the Customs Service and Supervision Department of the State Revenue Committee, his deputy, and a customs officer intentionally concealed the existence of a cargo subject to customs duties amounting to 11,372,640 AMD in a truck that entered Armenia through the "Agarak" customs checkpoint.

With the assistance of the authorized representative of the cargo, they instructed the truck driver to bypass the X-ray inspection area of the checkpoint. Subsequently, upon the directive of the head of the department, the customs officer, violating the procedures for applying customs identification measures, failed to apply security measures after completing the weighing operations of the said truck.

Following this, the deputy head of the department, in coordination with the head, took the security measure set aside by the customs officer and placed it on the truck without proper documentation, making it easy to remove later. The vehicle then exited the checkpoint area under the escort of the deputy head of the department and the trader.

After leaving the checkpoint, the truck was stopped at the directive of the deputy head, and the previously mentioned cargo was removed. The deputy then applied the security measure and photographed it.

As a result of the misuse of official powers by the officials of the State Revenue Committee to the detriment of state and official interests, the cargo belonging to the trader was not subjected to customs control, and the taxable cargo was concealed with the intent of evading customs duties, inflicting particularly significant damage to the state amounting to 11,372,640 AMD.

Charges have been brought against the head of the department, his deputy, and the customs officer under the second part of Article 441, points 2 and 4, and the first part of Article 46-290 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. The authorized representative of the cargo has been charged under the second part of Article 46-441, points 2 and 4. The latter, along with the head and deputy of the department, has had bail set as a preventive measure, while the customs officer is subject to a travel ban, a 5 million AMD bail, and suspension from office.

The preliminary investigation of the criminal case has been completed, and the materials of the case have been forwarded to the Anti-Corruption Court of the Republic of Armenia with a bill of indictment.