The criminal case initiated in the RA Prosecutor General’s Office on apparent abuses committed within “North - South Road” program was received in the proceeding of General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee.

Pursuant to initial data, from 2009 to 2018 design and estimate documentation with obvious shortcomings were received for performance by competent persons without grounds and sufficient research, with numerous unnecessary changes in the consulting services and contractual contracts signed for implementation of “North - South Road” program, involving ineffective and unfounded work in them. Besides, without charging losses they agreed to extend the terms of construction and consulting services, in separate cases the price of services were defined twice as much as the maximum price established by legal acts – making ungrounded changes in the price and content of the mentioned contract the prices were raised, not necessary and repeated actions were involved in services in the result of which more money than established was paid to the consulting companies.

According to obtained data, measures were not taken to maintain the quality standards and norms of building materials, particularly cement composition as well as to provide daily control over work implementation. Recording obvious shortcomings of construction work, concrete cover in the agreement on changes of contractual contract the parts Yerevan-Artashat, Yerevan-Ashtarak were accepted for operation.

In order to conceal the inefficient management of the program some officials allegedly used their official position against the service interests, they did not carry out their service duties which caused deadline breach and the construction work of North-South road was not completed for about 9 years, the goals of citizens, public and state envisaged by the program – to connect the South of Armenia to the North with a safe, high quality and fast road were not implemented. As a result, damage of 23.553.817.000 AMD was caused to the state.

On September 4 a criminal case was initiated in RA Prosecutor General’s Office according to the Part 2 of the Article 308 of RA Criminal Code which was sent to the RA Investigative Committee for conduction of preliminary investigation. On September 6 the criminal case was received in the proceeding of the RA IC General Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases.

Preliminary investigation is under way. Necessary investigatory and other procedural actions are conducted to provide the comprehensive, complete and objective investigation of the case, to find out the frame of those related to apparent abuses, to personalize the actions of each of them and to give appropriate criminal legal assessment to their actions.

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