Investigation is conducted in the Department of Investigation of General and Election-Related Crimes of General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee to find out all circumstances of apparent abuses found in municipality of Vagharshapat (Ejmiatsin). Charge was pressed against the former head of the community, the former chief of “Housing and Utilities Department” budgetary facility and the director of “Improvement” budgetary facility.

The criminal case on abuses in Ejmiatsin’s municipality was initiated on the base of the materials prepared on breaches found in the result of inspections conducted in municipality of Vagharshapat (Ejmiatsin).

An investigatory plan was worked out, necessary investigatory actions were conducted to provide the comprehensive, complete and objective investigation.

The apparent abuses were recorded from January 1, 2015 to July 30, 2018.

In the result of investigatory actions of great volume cases of apparent squandering committed in Ejmiatsin’s municipality were disclosed, the mechanism was found out.

Particularly, it was found out that conditioned with his relations with “Yerkrapah Volunteer Union” NGO the former head of the community, out of personal interests and meeting the request of one of the members of Ejmiatsin territorial office of “Yerkrapah Volunteer Union” NGO gave oral instruction to the director of “Improvement” budgetary facility operating under the mentioned municipality to register the person pointed out by him as an employee in municipality. As a result, he was employed as a facility station guard, a labor contract was signed with him. However, he did not go to work instead he worked as a guard in Ejmiatsin territorial office of “Yerkrapah Volunteer Union” NGO and 4.489.327 AMD in total was paid to him as a salary from the municipality budget.

Besides, the head of Ejmiatsin community gave oral instruction to the chief of “Housing and Utilities Department” budgetary facility to register a member of Ejmiatsin territorial office of “Yerkrapah Volunteer Union” NGO as a community employee. As a result, the latter was employed as a driver on duty in the transport division of municipality, a labor contract was signed with him. However, he did not go to work, he actually worked as a guard in Ejmiatsin territorial office of “Yerkrapah Volunteer Union” NGO and 2.193.692 AMD in total was paid to him as a salary from municipality budget.

In order to pay his driver the head of Ejmiatsin community gave an oral instruction to the director of “Improvement” budgetary facility to register his driver as a municipality employee. As a result, he was registered as an employee of organizational and service division – Mayor's driver then senior driver, a labor contract was signed with him. However, the latter did not actually do that job. But being the driver of the family of community head 4.838.590 AMD in total was paid to him as a salary from municipality budget, as well as 705.640 AMD in total was paid to the insurance company causing Ejmiatsin community pecuniary damage in particularly large amount - 5.544.230 AMD in total.

Community head, considering that his driver also served his family, gave a written instruction to the chief of “Housing and Utilities Department” budgetary facility to appoint his personal driver as a deputy chief of the same department in order to pay the person actually providing him service of a personal driver.  As a result, by the order of the chief of the department the driver was appointed as a deputy chief then by another order he was appointed the first deputy chief of the mentioned department. However, the latter did not do the mentioned job. But actually being the personal driver of the community head 8.887.517 AMD in total was paid to him as a salary from the municipality budget. The money for medical insurance - 685.410 AMD was also paid from municipality budget causing the community pecuniary damage of 9.572.927 AMD in total.  

Besides, community head gave oral instruction to the chief of “Housing and Utilities Department” budgetary facility to employ a person who had been a dustman in order to pay him for looking after the animals kept in his father Manvel Grigoryan's house. As a result, the chief of the department employed the mentioned person as a street cleaner, signed a labor contract with him. However, the latter did not do the job. But actually looking after the animals in Manvel Grigoryan’s house 1.219.362 AMD in total was paid to him as a salary from municipality budget.   

Besides, in order to pay the person constantly accompanying his father and providing the latter’s security community head gave oral instruction to the director of “Improvement” budgetary facility to register him as a municipality employee. As a result, the director of the mentioned facility registered the person providing security as a welder of the facility, signed a labor contract with him. However, the latter did not do the mentioned job. But actually being the security officer of community head’s father – Manvel Grigoryan he was paid 440.153 AMD in total as a salary from municipality budget.  

Through investigation data were also obtained that the minor children of community head had been involved in the package of medical insurance provision for the employees of the mentioned municipality. However, the annual insurance premiums envisaged for them from 2013 to 2018 - 876.440 AMD in total, by the instruction of community head was paid to the insurance company from municipality budget.

On the base of the obtained sufficient evidence charge was pressed against the former head of Ejmiatsin community according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 38-179 (3 counts), the Points 1 and 3 of the Part 2 of the Article 38-179 (2 counts), the Point 1 of the Part 2 of the Article 38-179 and the Points 1 and 3 of the Part 2 of the Article 179 of RA Criminal Code.

Charge was pressed against the director of “Improvement” budgetary facility according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 179 (2 counts) and the Point 1 of the Part 2 of the Article 179 of RA Criminal Code. Charge was pressed against the former chief of “Housing and Utilities Department” budgetary facility according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 179 and the Points 1 and 3 of the Part 2 of the Article 179 of RA Criminal Code (2 counts). Signature not to leave was chosen as a pretrial measure against them.

Damage caused to the community was partially recovered during preliminary investigation.

Preliminary investigation is ongoing.

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