Preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated on apparent swindling committed by the director of “A and R Tour” tourist agency is ongoing in the Division of Investigation of Grave Crimes of Yerevan Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee. Charge was pressed against the director of the tourist agency.

It was earlier informed that on July 25, 2019 information was published that about 100 RA citizens were in Hurgada due to failure of Hurgada-Yerevan flight N OTF3703.  

Through materials prepared on the base of publications it was found out that under the pretext of organizing rest in seaside cities of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurgada, Egypt from the beginning of 2019 to July the director of “A and R Tour” tourist agency  collected numerous customers and organized transportation of a part of them to the mentioned cities.

In the result of necessary investigatory and other procedural actions of great volume conducted within the criminal case a number of circumstances significant for the case, the mechanism of swindling were found out.

Thus, with the purpose of swindling money in particularly large amount the director of the tourist agency inserted in social sites an announcement on non-regular charter flights to Hurgada and Sharm El Sheikh cities of Egypt beginning from summer, 2019 and organizing rest in several hotels of Egypt through a tourist operator operating abroad. After it a number of citizens and tourist agencies applied to the tourist agency to obtain packages and paid for the tourist packages and airline tickets. Whereas, the charter flights to Hurgada and Sharm El Sheikh cities of Egypt allegedly organized by the agency were cancelled from July 23, 2019. As a result, the citizens who had applied to the agency failed to rest.

Pursuant to investigation data, in the mentioned period money in particularly large amount, pursuant to initial data, 30.616.995 AMD was received from a number of citizens and tourist agencies and swindled.

On the base of sufficient evidence obtained through the criminal case charge was pressed against the director of “A and R Tour” tourist agency according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 178 of RA Criminal Code (4 counts). Signature not to leave was chosen as a pretrial measure against her.

Preliminary investigation is ongoing.

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