Accused of Illegal Turnover of Radioactive Materials
HETQ
18:44, July 8, 2011
On April 22, 2010 the RA National Security Service initiated a
criminal case according to the RA Criminal Code Articles 215, part 2
and 233, part against the RA citizens Sumbat Tonoyan and Hrant Ohanyan
for obtaining enriched radioactive material 90.8% uranium from Garik
Dadayan (sentenced in 2004 for the contraband of radioactive material
uranium) in March, 2010 in Yerevan, taking it to Georgia by the train
Yerevan-Tbilisi and selling it in Tbilisi.
Garik Dadayan was charged on April 22, 2010 according to the RA
Criminal Code Articles 38-215, part 2 (helper in the contraband of
radioactive materials) and 233, part 1 (illegal turnover of
radioactive materials) for coming to the criminal agreement with the
RA citizens Sumbat Tonoyan and Hrant Ohanyan by telephone in March
2010 to obtain enriched radioactive material uranium and to sell it in
Georgia and to share the profit.
For the implementation and support of the criminal plan G. Dadayan
demanded and received from S. Tonoyan 1000 USD through Unistream money
transfer system for the travel expenses and on March 10, 2010 came to
Yerevan from Moscow. On the same day he gave Hrant Ohanyan 17 grams of
illegally obtained enriched radioactive material uranium in a
cigarette box. The mentioned radioactive material was taken to
Tbilisi, Georgia on March 11, 2010 across the Armenian Customs border
and on the same day H. Ohanyan and S. Tonoyan tried to sell it to the
citizen of Georgia Zaza Kivkivadze but they were found by the
employees of the law enforcement bodies of Georgia.
Thus on March 11, 2010 G. Dadayan supported H. Ohanyan and S. Tonoyan
to hide from the RA Customs supervision 17 grams of enriched
radioactive material uranium and take it to Georgia as well as to
illegally obtain and keep the mentioned radioactive material.
H. Ohanyan and S. Tonoyan in 2010 were found guilty by the Georgian
Court for the contraband and illegal turnover of radioactive materials
and sentenced to 13 and 14 years of imprisonment.
The part of the criminal case initiated by the RA National Security
Service relating to G. Dadayan was separated and on December 9, 2010
the bill of indictment was sent to the Court of First Instance of
Tavish region. On May 25, 2011 G. Dadayan was found guilty according
to the RA Criminal Code Articles 38-215, part 2 and 233, part 1 and
sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment with the confiscation of
property.
Measures are taken to find out where the uranium was obtained from as
it was revealed during the investigation of the criminal case that
there are not technical and laboratory condition in Armenia where
enriched radioactive material 90.8% uranium can be made.
At present, the separated part of the criminal case has been
suspended, taking into consideration the fact that the RA citizens H.
Ohanyan and S. Tonoyan sentenced in Georgia are also accused in
Armenia within the framework of the mentioned criminal case, and
however the operative works to find out the source of the uranium
taken to Georgia are continued.
G. Dadayan’s defenders appealed to the RA Court of Criminal Appeals
the decision of the Court of First Instance of Tavush region made on
May 25, 2011.
The RA General Prosecutor’s Office considers G. Dadayan’s case as a
progress in the context of the implementation of responsibilities
undertaken by the Republic of Armenia during the Nuclear Security
Summit on Illicit Nuclear Trafficking held in Washington, in 2010.
The Republic of Armenia joined 46 states by offering its support in
the implementation of the Work Plan as to which “the Participating
States will strive to improve their national criminal laws, as needed,
to ensure that they have the adequate authority to prosecute all types
of cases of illicit nuclear trafficking and nuclear terrorism and
commit to prosecuting these crimes to the full extent of the law”.
The RA National Security Service succeeded in detecting G. Dadayan’s
criminal activity and tries to prevent other cases of contraband as
well as to call to liability all the persons involved in this case.
Within the Nuclear Security Summit and other international mechanisms
the Republic of Armenia develops its experience and potential to
prevent the illegal turnover and contraband of the radioactive
materials. The Republic of Armenia closely cooperates with other
countries in order to detect other groupings involved in the illegal
turnover of radioactive materials and to arrest the guilty persons as
well as to support the investigation of the criminal cases.
RoA Prosecutor General’s Office