As of December 13, 10 criminal cases on breaches made during referendum on Constitutional reforms held on December 6, 2015 are investigated in the territorial subdivisions of the RA Investigative Committee which are related to the calls on voting more than once or instead of another person. Two more criminal cases initiated according to the Article 149 of RA Criminal Code have been sent to the RA Special Investigatory Service according to investigative subordination.

Thus,

1On December 6, at about 13:00 a call was received informing that during the referendum on Constitutional reforms the resident of the village of Zaritap, Vayots Dzor region, V. Stepanyan attempted to vote instead of his brother in the polling station N 39/39 located in the same village.

During preparation of materials in Vayots Dzor Regional Investigative Department it was found that the resident of the village of Zaritap, V. Stepanyan on December 6, 2015 at about 11:00 took part in referendum on Constitutional reforms in the polling station N 39/39 located in the same village. A while later at about 12:30 he attended the same polling station to vote instead of his brother and voted.

The allegation that he had voted instead of another person was found by the head of the commission of the polling station. A criminal case was initiated according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code. Preliminary investigation is conducted. Signature not to leave was used as a pretrial measure against V. Stepanyan as a suspect.

2. On December 6, 2015 at 16:10 the resident of Vanadzor S. Soghomonyan submitted a written report informing that on the same day at 14:50 she attended the polling station N 30/21 located at 49 Nizam, Vanadzor to take part in the voting in referendum on Constitutional reforms but she found that an unidentified person had voted instead of her parents and brother.

On December 6, 2015 a criminal case was initiated in Lori Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code.

Preliminary investigation is conducted.

3. On December 6, 2015 at 16:30 a report was inserted in the website “hcav.am” by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office informing that a case of voting more than once was noticed in polling station N 29/25 of Spitak town, Lori region by the observers of the same office.

During preparation of materials a written report was submitted by the commission member of polling station N 29/25, Liana Davtyan informing that on December 6, 2015 at about 16:00 during referendum on Constitutional reforms an unidentified person entered the mentioned polling station and attempted to drop the papers in his hand into the ballot box. However, he could not accomplish the crime under unforeseen circumstances as the commission member Liana Davtyan had noticed.

Considering that in the materials prepared on the base of the report there are features of crime envisaged by the Article 34-153 of RA Criminal Code, a criminal case was initiated in Spitak Investigative Division of Lori Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee according to the Article 34-153 of RA Criminal Code. Preliminary investigation is conducted.

4. On December 6 a report and photos were published in the site of “Transparency International Anticorruption Center” informing that “The person in the photo dressed in different clothes voted twice” in polling station N 11/03.

A criminal case was initiated by the Prosecution Office of Shengavit administrative district on the alleged breach according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code (voting more than once or instead of another person) preliminary investigation of which is conducted in the Investigative Division of Shengavit administrative district of Yerevan Investigative Department.

5. On December 6 a publication was inserted in the site of “Transparency International Anticorruption Center” informing that in the polling station N 10/15 while signing in the voter list the voter noticed that there were signatures before the names of his brother and brother’s wife, however the commission refused to record the breach.

During preparation of materials the data of the voters who were involved in the voter lists of the polling station N 10/15 and instead of which, according to the report, somebody else had voted, were found.

A criminal case was initiated according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code. It was found that the persons who had participated in referendum and signed before the names of Lusik and Ruben Harutyunyans had been registered by the commission member Gor Tumanyan. Preliminary investigation is ongoing.

6. On December 6, 2015 in the news site “newsbook” there was a publication entitled “Breach in polling station N 10/14; a signature before elderly woman’s name”.

Through investigation conducted on the base of the report it was found that the voter of the polling station N 10/14 Zhenya Ghasaboghlyan attended the polling station and found that in the voter list there was a signature of another person before her name.
A criminal case was initiated according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code. Investigation is conducted.

7. On December 6, 2015 a writ was received in the Investigative Division of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee from Prosecution Office of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts informing that the Deputy of the RA National Assembly Levon Zurabyan called the RA Prosecutor General’s Office and informed that another person had voted instead of a family in the polling station N 10/20. During preparation of materials in the investigative division the persons mentioned in the report were identified who were the voters of the polling station N 10/20 Lusine Aslanyan, Mariam Demirchyan and Anahit Harutyunyan; in the voter list there were signatures before the names of these persons, according to the report other persons had voted instead of them. A criminal case was initiated according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code.

8. The criminal case initiated on voting instead of another person by the acting prosecutor of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts was received in the Investigative Division of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee.

On December 6, 2015 a publication and video entitled “Journalist of “Zhoghovurd” daily newspaper voted instead of another person; journalistic investigation” were inserted in “armlur.am” news site. According to prosecutor’s assessment there are features of apparent crime in the materials prepared on its base.

According to the decision on initiating a criminal case made by the prosecutor, the factual data obtained during preparation of materials on the mentioned case testify that the journalist voted in the polling station N 9/12 of administrative districts of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan.

In the prepared materials and the mentioned video “there are apparent features of supporting voting more than once or instead of another person through submitting false documents, telling false data or in another way” and a criminal case was initiated according to the Article 38-153 of RA Criminal Code.

The criminal case was received in the Investigative Division of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts for preliminary investigation.

9. On December 6, 2015 at about 08:30 a call was received from the policeman carrying out his duties in the polling station N 26/29 informing that in the polling station N 26/29 located in the village of Qasakh a row erupted during which the ballot box was broken.

During preparation of materials it was found that the member of the precinct commission, supposing that electoral breach was made by the head and other members of the commission, got angry, dropped the ballot box to the floor and broke it in the result of which the work of the referendum commission was hindered for about 30 minutes.

Considering that in the materials there are features of apparent crime a criminal case was initiated in Kotayq Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee pursuant to the Part 1 of the Article 149 of RA Criminal Code.

The criminal case was sent to the RA Special Investigatory Service according to investigative subordination.

10. A criminal case was initiated in the Investigative Division of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee on hindrance to implementation of work of the commission of polling station N 9/15.

On December 6, 2015 a report was received in Central Police Station from the head of the electoral commission of polling station N 9/15 informing that the observer of polling station N 9/16 Vardges Gaspari regularly made a noise, scolded and through his behavior hindered the implementation of work of the precinct commission, as well as authorities of persons involved.

Considering that in the materials prepared on the base of the report apparently there are features of crime specified in the Part 1 of the Article 149 of RA Criminal Code, a criminal case was initiated in the Investigative Division of Kentron and Norq-Marash administrative districts according to the Part 1 of the Article 149 of RA Criminal Code. The criminal case was sent to the RA Special Investigatory Service according to investigative subordination.

11. On December 6, 2015 a publication was inserted in news site “hetq.am” which said that Hasmik Rafayelyan with her mother and sister went to polling station N 8/08 to take part in referendum. There they found that somebody else had already voted instead of them; there were passport data and signatures of other persons.

According to the call no measure was taken by the members of the commission to provide their constitutional rights to take part in referendum though they had told about the breach requiring to make a record. Considering that in the mentioned materials there are features of crime envisaged by the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code a criminal case was initiated in the Investigative Division of Malatia-Sebastia administrative district according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code.

12. On December 6, 2015 a call was received informing that the residents registered in the apartment 9, building 9, Nor Norq had been deprived of the right to participate in referendum as somebody else had already voted instead of them.

 During preparation of materials in the Investigative Division of Avan and Nor Norq administrative districts it was found that on December 6, 2015 at about 18:30 M. Papazyan, H. Demirchyan and T. Barseghyan, registered in the same apartment, went to polling station N 2/32 to participate in referendum. There they found that there were signatures before their names. The mentioned three voters left the polling station without voting.

On December 12 a criminal case was initiated in the Investigative Division of Avan and Nor Norq administrative districts according to the Article 153 of RA Criminal Code.

In the framework of the criminal cases investigated in the RA Investigative Committee necessary investigatory and procedural measures are taken to provide the comprehensive, objective and complete investigation of the circumstances.

Information on procedural decisions made on the results of investigation will be provided on a regular basis.

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