Active investigatory and other procedural actions are ongoing in the Department of Investigation of Crimes on Human Trafficking, against Sexual Immunity of Juveniles and Illegal Turnover of Drugs of General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee to find out all circumstances of illegal adoption of babies. Charge was pressed against one person for attempt to purchase babies for the purpose of taking up baby care.  

It was earlier informed that on November 18, 2019 the criminal case initiated in the Investigative Department of the RA National Security Service on divulging the secret of adoption, inducing to consent to adoption, purchase of baby for the purpose of taking up care, giving commercial bribe, abuse of power, exceeding official authorities by employees of commercial or other organizations was received in the proceeding of the RA Investigative Committee.

Pursuant to data obtained through investigation, from 2016 to 2018 a number of employees of state institutions and medical centers operating in Armenia intentionally, out of mercenary motives induced more than a dozen of women who had given birth to abandon their babies for the purpose of adoption and to give consent to adoption against their will.

In the result of urgent investigatory actions conducted during preliminary investigation one of those having attempted to purchase and adopt babies was identified; she is a female resident of Yerevan, born in 1976.

Pursuant to actual data, 43 year-old woman taking advantage of the circumstance that the people, who wanted to take up the baby's care, were unaware of the adoption process, from 2018 to 2019 reached arrangement with a foreigner then with RA citizens on taking up adoption of healthy children in orphanages of Armenia for 20.000 USD and 5.000 USD, correspondingly.

Using her personal connections 43 year-old woman attempted to organize the babies' adoption in the order of priority and the actual purchase of babies for the arranged money, however, she could not complete the crime under unforeseen circumstances. 
 

On the base of the obtained sufficient evidence charge was pressed against 43 year-old woman according to the Point 2 of the Part 2 of the Article 34-168 of RA Criminal Code.

The investigator submitted a motion to court to use detention as a pretrial measure against her. The court sufficed the motion at the same time application of mortgage was considered permissible as an optional pretrial measure against her.

Preliminary investigation is ongoing. Necessary investigatory actions are conducted and operative-intelligence measures are taken to find out the whole frame of relevant employees of medical, state institutions involved in illegal adoption process, as well as those affected.

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