In the result of necessary, urgent and large-scale investigative, procedural actions conducted in Vayots Dzor Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee together with the officers of the Police of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs a case of a schematic crime of procuring, keeping and transporting counterfeit currency in large amount with the purpose of realization, committed with prior agreement by a group of people, was disclosed.

Through preliminary investigation of the criminal proceeding it was found out that the resident of Yerevan, procured from a fellow citizen 300 banknotes similar to one with a nominal value of 100 USD and clearly indistinguishable from the real one, namely counterfeit currency, according to initial data, realized them in various regions and communities of Armenia buying mainly natural product. As a result, numerous citizens of the RA various regions were affected.  

For this purpose the latter agreed with an acquaintance carrying out passenger transportation and the latter’s wife upon committing the crime together, that is realizing the mentioned counterfeit currency by buying goods and on February 7, 2024, transported the counterfeit currency to Vayots Dzor region in the car driven by the mentioned person. 

On the same day by doing shopping in the market of Jermuk town, realizing 7 banknotes with a nominal value of 100 USD to the sellers, they put them into circulation. Some days later they tried to realize the counterfeit currency again by doing shopping, however the person carrying out passenger transportation, together with his car was taken to Yeghegnadzor Police Station by the police officers where through the personal search and search conducted in the car 11 banknotes with a nominal value of 100 USD were taken, 46 more banknotes with a nominal value of 100 USD were found and taken through the search conducted in the apartment.  

Within the framework of preliminary investigation procedural and evidentiary urgent actions were conducted, among them interrogations, searches, inspections, expertise were commissioned to find out a number of circumstances significant for the proceeding.

On the base of the obtained sufficient facts charge was pressed against the residents of Yerevan- spouses according to the Points 1 and 3 of the Part 2 of the Article 267, against the person carrying out passenger transportation – according to the Point 1 of the Part 2 of the Article 267 and against the person having realized the fake currency – according to the Point 3 of the Part 2 of the Article 267 of RA Criminal Code.

Motions were submitted to court to use detention as a pretrial measure against the 4 defendants. By the court’s decision detention was used as a pretrial measure against those having realized counterfeit currency, as well as those having carried out passenger transportation, home detention was used as a pretrial measure against the wife of Yerevan resident.  

Preliminary investigation is ongoing. Measures are taken to identify the person having made counterfeit currencies, those possibly involved in the criminal chain, to find out the frame of those affected by realization of the fake currency.  

The relevant subdivision of the Police was assigned to take operative-intelligence measures.