The preliminary investigation under the criminal proceedings carried out in the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Republic of Armenia established that S.S., while holding the positions of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the President of the Republic of Armenia, and then the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia during the years 2000-2018, contrary to the prohibition established by law, using his official position to found organizations carrying out entrepreneurial activities through trusted persons and to participate in the management of commercial organizations, contributed to the involvement of M.B., who was in close relations with him, and the organizations belonging to him, in the establishing of a bitumen plant through foreign investment in Surenavan community of Ararat marz to meet the needs of the Republic of Armenia.

To implement the plan, the company, with the participation of M. B., the authorized person of S. S., together with two Russian companies registered in the Republic of Cyprus, established a new company on February 20, 2006. S. S., participating in the establishment and management of the said company through M. B., instructed that 50 percent of the shares of this company be registered in the name of the company belonging to M. B., and the property rights to the remaining 50 percent of the shares be registered with the two Russian companies. Then S. S. demanded that M. B. transfer 22.5 percent of the shares of the newly founded company, belonging to the latter, as a bribe to the company established by his nephew and the son of the second president of the Republic of Armenia.

Implementing S. S.'s demands, on March 14, 2008, M.B. sold the specified part of his company's shares to the aforementioned company through a formal transaction, as well as made an investment in the newly established company. Due to the failure of the above-mentioned newly established company, in 2013, foreign investors decided to sell their shares in the aforementioned company, with respect to which S. S., actually managing the specified process, instructed M. B. to apply to a banking organization operating in the Republic of Armenia, owned by his close person, to obtain a loan of USD 14,000,000  and to return the investments made by the two Russian companies, which the latter did.

Afterwards, S. S. and M. B. set out to sell the assets of the companies belonging to the latter, including the newly established company. At the same time, S. S. decided to use the aforementioned transaction to promote the activities of his daughter’s husband and organizations engaged in entrepreneurial activities affiliated with him. As a result, M. B. established a new company to which the assets of the other companies were transferred, including 23 filling stations in Yerevan and the marzes, an oil product depot, and a bitumen production plant in Surenavan community of Ararat marz. On August 22, 2015, a company affiliated with the husband of S. S.'s daughter acquired 100 percent of the new company founded by M.B. for USD 40,000,000, which allowed it to obtain a monopoly on the import of gasoline fuel to the Republic of Armenia. After that, S.S. demanded that M.B. transfer to the son of the second president of the Republic of Armenia a particularly large amount of USD 6,000,000 in exchange for 22.5 percent of the shares previously transferred as a bribe to the company of his nephew and the son of the second president of the Republic of Armenia under a formal transaction, after which M.B., on the initiative of the latter, transferred the said particularly large amount to his company based on a fake loan agreement presented to him.

In the course of the preliminary investigation, S.S. was charged with receiving a bribe in a particularly large amount and illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity contrary to the prohibition established by law.

The preliminary investigation under the criminal proceedings has been completed, and the materials of the proceedings, together with the indictment, have been sent to the Anti-Corruption Court of the Republic of Armenia.

Notification. the person accused of a crime is considered innocent until his guilt is proven in accordance with the procedure established by the RA Criminal Procedure Code by a verdict entered into legal force.