Preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated on swindling money in particularly large amount from grants provided to “Martuni Students Council” NGO based on the materials received from European Anti-Freud Office is ongoing in the Department of Investigation of Corruption-Related Crimes, Crimes against Property and Cybercrimes of General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee.

It was earlier informed that from 2009 to 2016 a group of people through prior agreement worked out grant programs, obtained non-governmental organizations which were already registered and had some history through which the programs were submitted to tender announced by European Union Delegation to Armenia. The programs were confirmed with the help of delegation employee and money for implementation of those programs was provided.

The mentioned people forged accounting, financial and economic, program documents, particularly, false labor, service contracts, false documents for purchasing goods, false leaflets on business trips on the base of which money in particularly large amount provided for the implementation of the programs was swindled.

In the result of comprehensive investigation sufficient evidence were obtained on the allegation that swindling had been committed through over two dozens of grant programs funded by EU Delegation to Armenia.

During preliminary investigation on February 26, 2018 the case on 14 defendants accused of swindling money in particularly large amount of the grants provided by European Union Delegation to Armenia from 2010 to 2016, supporting to swindling, as well as forgery of documents committed by a group of people, was separated in separate proceeding, preliminary investigation was completed and the case with the bill of indictment was sent to court.   

On the base of the obtained evidence obtained through comprehensive, complete and objective investigation charge was pressed against three more persons for swindling in particularly large amount through 5 grant programs funded by European Union Delegation to Armenia by forging documents and using them from 2011 to 2014.

A decision was made to separate the part on the mentioned three persons involved as a defendant, preliminary investigation was completed and the criminal case with the bill of indictment was sent to court.

During preliminary investigation pecuniary damage of 66.038.571,9 AMD tantamount to 121.598 Euros caused to European Union Delegation to Armenia was recovered.

Within the criminal case search was declared against two more persons and detention was chosen as a pretrial measure against them.

Preliminary investigation of the criminal case is ongoing.

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