Category: 2018

The military investigative committee launched a criminal case on the landmine explosion in Tavush province which wounded three people, the investigative committee reported.

According to preliminary data, three farmers of the Aygedzor village trespassed into the intermediate area of a military base, where an explosive device went off, injuring them.

The three farmers suffered multiple injuries in the blast. The criminal case was filed on “negligent service causing severe consequences”. An investigation is underway to determine circumstances of the incident.

The National Security Service of Armenia recently prevented a major drug smuggling attempt on Armenia-Iran border. An Iranian national approached the Armenian-Iranian border and threw 3kg of opium over the barbed wires to two Armenians waiting for him in the opposite side of the border. Taking the packages of the opium the Armenians tried to leave the scene, but were caught by the NSS officers.

The NSS reported that 148 pieces of 100 USD counterfeit banknotes, a total of 14.800 USD, were found among the two Armenian citizens charged by a criminal case on drug smuggling and illicit trafficking. As a result of the investigative operations it was revealed that these counterfeit banknotes were sold by a resident of Agarak to one of the two citizens. 1700 more USD counterfeit banknotes were found also during the search in the car of Agarak resident.

Criminal case was launched into the incident.

Investigation continues to find out the source of counterfeit money and people involved in the incident.

The preliminary investigation of the criminal case on embezzlement of grants provided by the EU Delegation to Armenia to a number of NGOs has been completed in the general department of investigations of the Investigative Committee, the Investigative Committee reported.

As a result of large-scale investigative operations sufficient evidence was obtained according to which during 2009-2016 a group of people developed grant programs with an initial agreement, acquired already registered NGOs through which the programs have been submitted to the grant programs assessment competition announced by the EU Delegation to Armenia. The submitted programs were approved with the support of the employee of the EU Delegation, and the funds for the implementation of programs were provided.

The aforementioned persons formed false accounting, financial-economic and program documents, in particular, fake labor, service contracts, documents for purchase of goods, fake documents for business trips based on which they have stolen large sums of money provided for the implementation of the programs.

Based on the investigation sufficient proofs were obtained that embezzlement were made over 18 grant programs funded by the EU Delegation, and the total money embezzled comprises 907.281.869.7 AMD.

19 people were charged over this incident.

The representative of the Armenian emergency situations ministry’s Rescue Service in Russia informed that 5 Armenian citizens died while conducting works in the manhole in the Russian city of Ufa.

One of the citizens has been hospitalized to Ufa’s medical center.

Doctors assessed his health condition as fair.

The “Memory Lanterns” memorial dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims opened in the Trembley park in Geneva, Switzerland on April 13, which was also attended by renowned French-Armenian singer, Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland Charles Aznavour.

“This memorial tells us that such event should never repeat again”, Charles Aznavour told RTS.

“Switzerland’s National Council recognized the Armenian Genocide, as well as the city of Geneva acknowledged the Genocide by a separate resolution. The plans on building such memorial existed long ago, but every time they met Turkish counteraction and were postponed. In 2008 Geneva voted for constructing a memorial dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims”, RTS writes.

The memorial consists of 10-meter-long 9 lanterns. The author is Melik Ohanyan. “The idea of this memorial is that there is no single point where it is erected, but that important point is the visitor. It also symbolizes the Diaspora that is spread in different countries and sheds light from these places”, Ohanyan said.

Switzerland’s National Council (lower house of the parliament) adopted a resolution on December 16, 2003 by which it recognized the Armenian Genocide.

The law on criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide operates in Switzerland since 1994.

During the period from April 8 to 14 the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime more than 300 times in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact by firing nearly 3300 shots from various caliber weapons at the Armenian positions, the defense ministry of Artsakh reported.

In addition, the Azerbaijani forces also fired automatic grenade launcher (3 grenades) at the northern section of the line of contact.

The Defense Army forces continue strictly fulfilling their military tasks and take countermeasures in case of strict necessity.

The session of the Republican Party’s Executive Body and Board was held in Tsakhkadzor on April 14, the RPA reported.

The Executive Body by the proposal of First Vice-President of the party Karen Karapetyan made a decision to submit party President Serzh Sargsyan’s candidacy for the post of Prime Minister of Armenia to the RPA Board.

During the session of the Board the decision of the Executive Body has been presented by RPA First Vice-President Karen Karapetyan. The Board discussed the issue and unanimously supported the candidacy.

On April 16 the RPA faction of the Parliament will officially nominate Serzh Sargsyan’s candidacy for Prime Minister of Armenia.

In the result of necessary actions conducted in the framework of the criminal case investigated in Lori Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee abuses were revealed in the process of providing social assistance in Vanadzor; two people were involved as a suspect.

On April 11, 2018 the criminal case initiated according to the Point 2 of the Part 3 of the Article 311.1 and the Part 2 of the Article 312.1 of RA Criminal Code on demanding and receiving money for providing citizens with social assistance in Vanadzor was received in the proceeding of Lori Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee.

In the result of joint urgent investigatory and operative-searching measures a number of circumstances significant for the case were found, the people having committed the alleged crime were identified; they are chief specialist of Vanadzor territorial division of social assistance and the employee of Aznvadzor post branch of “Haypost” CJSC, the actions of each of them were found out.

Particularly, through preliminary investigation actual data were obtained on the allegation that from 2006 to 2018 the chief specialist of Vanadzor territorial division of social assistance demanded and received money to involve citizens in the list of beneficiaries, to provide them with benefits in different periods. According to initial data, in the process of receiving money the employee of Aznvadzor post branch of “Haypost” CJSC helped the chief specialist.

Through investigation cases of demanding and receiving illegal payment for organizing the provision of benefit of 5 people have already been found out.

On April 11 chief specialist of Vanadzor territorial division of social assistance was arrested, signature not to leave was chosen as a pretrial measure against the employee of “Haypost” CJSC.

Preliminary investigation is ongoing, measures are taken to reveal other possible counts of illegal payment, to provide the objective, complete and comprehensive investigation.

Note; Everyone charged with alleged crime offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.

On April 13, at 19:12 information was received that citizens of the Republic of Armenia working in a manhole near the address Belskaya 25 of Ufa city died during the work process.

At 19:31 operative man on duty of the Crisis management center of Bashkortostan of Russian Federation reported the names of the died citizens: Kamo Petrosyan, son of Gerasim (born in 1983), Meruzhan Afanikov, son of Sergey (born in 1962), Surik Afanikov, son of Zhora (born in 1981), Robert Hakobyan, son of Gurgen (born in 1962) and Rafik Grigoryan, son of Gagik (born in 1989, citizen of RF). Rustam Melkonyan, son of Robert (born in 1973) was hospitalized to the city hospital of Ufa.

According to doctors the casualty was in fair condition.