Within the criminal case investigated in General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee a number of circumstances of providing Civil Registration Agency with false information, document forgery, extortion, organizing kidnapping of his former friend, robbery and murder attempt against him committed by A. Vardanyan were found out.

It was found out that A. Vardanyan, being involved as a defendant within the criminal case investigated in the RA Special Investigatory Service and being in freedom as mortgage had been used as a pretrial measure against him, learning about the norm of the RA draft law on amnesty in circulation pursuant to which those sentenced to maximum of six years' imprisonment having a child of up to 3 years old, as of the date of entry into force of the law, are released from punishment, reached prior agreement with a Ukranian woman – single mother, on 29 October, 2018 submitted an application on paternity recognition to Territorial Subdivision of Civil Registration Agency in order to create bases to be released from liability.

Being warned about liability envisaged by Law for providing false information, not being the biological father of the child, he provided false information that he was allegedly the father of the child born on 30.08.2018. On the base of the mentioned information on October 29, 2018 handwritten change was made about the child’s birth and the data of the person formerly registered as father were replaced with A. Vardanyan’s data, on the same day the act on paternity recognition was registered and A. Vardanyan was registered as the child’s father thus getting a state certificate on paternity decision with false data which would release him from liability. 

Then on January 17, 2019 during the trial of the mentioned case the accused A. Vardanyan submitted the mentioned fake certificate to court based on which on January 17, 2019 the court made a decision to stop criminal prosecution against A. Vardanyan and to terminate the proceeding of the criminal case based on the Point 2 of the Part 5 of the Article 2 of RA Law on amnesty.

In the result of investigatory and other procedural actions of great volume conducted within the criminal case other crimes apparently committed by A. Vardanyan were also disclosed.

Particularly, through investigation data were obtained on swindling money and property in particularly large amount by extortion committed by A. Vardanyan.

It was found out that in 2012 the acquaintance turned to A. Vardanyan offering to help in returning debt and Vardanyan agreed. For this purpose the latter invited the debtor first to an isolated area then to his house. Taking advantage that he was perceived as an authority in criminal circles, threatening to use violence he demanded and received 50.000 USD and the latter’s car of «Mercedes G» make for another 50.000 UՍD which he renamed in his name, he also received the house of the mentioned person registered in his mother’s name for another 50.000 USD. As a result, money and property in particularly large amount - 60 million 261 thousand AMD in total was swindled by extortion.

Besides, for the purpose of swindling his former friend’s car of «BMW X6» make worth 25.000 USD  in summer, 2016 A. Vardanyan instructed his friends to obviously steal the above-mentioned car by using violence. For this purpose the group members with prior agreement, by A. Vardanyan;s instructions, at the crossroad of Burnazyan and Sasuntsi Davit Streets of Yerevan blocked and obviously stole the mentioned car, used violence not dangerous for life against the car owner – hit him, pushed to the ground and left.

Through preliminary investigation it was also found out that A. Vardanyan not only stole the mentioned car but he also organized kidnapping of the car owner the implementation of which he instructed to his nephew in summer, 2019. Pursuant to Vardanyan’s instructions, the latter met the car owner at his residence and taking advantage of the confidence they had had, with the intend to avoid possible resistance, by cheating, willfully distorting the reality and telling that they were allegedly going to meet A. Vardanyan to talk, deluded him and kidnapping him took him to Vardanyan’s house using violence against him with unidentified persons.

Through preliminary investigation it was found out that besides kidnapping the mentioned person and using violence against him, A. Vardanyan also organized his murder however he could not complete the crime under unforeseen circumstances.

Thus, A. Vardanyan, being in hostile relations with his former friend, instructed to illegally deprive him of life in a public place, made a plan and distributed roles to realize the crime.

Pursuant to role distribution, on March 4, 2020 one of Vardanyan’s friends rented a car, then he rubbed the wheels of the car with shoe polish bought from a shop in order to prevent disclosure. Then he replaced the car’s plate number with another one and on the same day drove in the mentioned car together with unidentified persons to the residence of A. Vardanyan’s former friend.

On the same day at about 17:30 seeing the latter in front of the workshop located in Burnazyan Street in a way dangerous for many people's life, for the purpose of depriving him of life illegally, the unidentified person fired shots from the back seat of the car towards A. Vardanyan’s former friend. In the result of shots the latter as well as another person who was in the workshop sustained firearm injuries, there was also a real danger for the life of those who were in the workshop. However, not being able to complete the crime they escaped.

On the base of the obtained sufficient evidence charge was pressed against A. Vardanyan according to the  Article 169.¹ (providing  Civil Registration Agency with false information), the Part 1 of the Article 325 (forgery, sale or use of forged documents, stamps, seals, letter-heads, vehicle license plates), the Point 2 of the Part 3 of the article 182 (extortion), the Point 1 of the  Part 3 of the Article 38-176 (organizing robbery), the Part 1 of the Article 38-131 (organizing kidnapping) and the Point 6 of the Part 2 of the Article 38-34-104 (organizing murder attempt) of RA Criminal Code.

The investigative body submitted a motion to court to reconfirm detention as a pretrial measure against him. On July 15, 2020 it was sufficed.

It was earlier informed that on March 5, 2020 search was declared against A. Vardanyan and detention was chosen as a pretrial measure against him. In the result of measures of great volume taken jointly by the employees of the RA Investigative Committee and General Department of Criminal Police of the RA Police he was found and on July 12, 2020 was arrested.

During preliminary investigation of the criminal case investigatory and other procedural actions have been conducted and are ongoing to find out all circumstances of cases, the frame of those related to organization and implementation of particularly grave crimes, to personalize their actions and to give criminal legal assessment to them.

Preliminary investigation is ongoing.

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