The preliminary investigation under the multi-episode criminal proceedings investigated in the RA Anti-Corruption Committee established that H. A., while holding the positions of Minister of Territorial Management of the Republic of Armenia, Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic of Armenia and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, using his official position and influence on state and local government bodies, ordered to organize illegal auctions, as a result of which he acquired land plots with a total area of about 75,000 square meters in Dilijan community of Tavush marz, arable land and pastures with a total area of 120 hectares in Narek community of Ararat marz and land plots with a total area of 48.4092 hectares in Mkhchyan community at a price significantly below the market price.
As a result, the above-mentioned real estate properties, acquired at a price significantly lower than the market value, were withdrawn from the community property fund without legal grounds. Afterwards, in order to conceal the criminal origin of the said real estate properties with a market value of about AMD 240 million, H.A. ensured their registration in the name of his relatives, and then, as a result of fictitious transactions, registered a significant part of the objects in the name of his wife, as well as in the name of the company he managed, actually managing and owning them.
In addition, the former high-ranking official was illegally engaged in entrepreneurial activity, sponsoring commercial organizations engaged in illegal sand mining, including the company "Metsn Hovnan" LLC, founded in the name of a person affiliated with him. In particular, H. A., guided by personal motives aimed at taking over the company “Avazahatik” LLC, which was engaged in sand mining in the territory adjacent to the site allocated to the above-mentioned company in 2006-2016, with the aim of actually merging the two companies and, as a result, engaging in more profitable economic activity, in 2008-2015 participated in the management of the two above-mentioned companies engaged in sand mining through his brother, his son and other persons and received a particularly large profit from the operation of the sand quarry of “Avazahatik” LLC - about AMD 230 million.
Afterwards, to conceal the criminal origin of the property acquired as a result of illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity, H. A. mixed the said amount with his other income and then gave it a legal appearance through various civil law transactions, including the acquisition of various real estate and various banking operations.
In addition, the preliminary investigation established that H. A. did not take effective measures to prevent illegal sand mining by a company affiliated with him in violation of the established procedure. In particular, in 2014-2016 and the subsequent period, the above-mentioned person affiliated with H. A. did not use the land in accordance with the coordinates of the site granted by the subsoil use right, and also extracted river sand directly from the bed of the crater section of the Araks River, deepening its bottom by about two meters. As a result of the above actions, degradation of the soil cover occurred in the area adjacent to the company's sand washing plant, with an area of 5950 square meters, as a result of which the main channel of the Araks River, located on the corresponding section of the state border of the Republic of Armenia, with a length of about 6 km, changed and dried up, forming an island with an area of 307.82 hectares near the border.
For the above-mentioned criminal acts H. A. was charged with abuse of office, exceeding official powers, illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity, and legalization of property (money laundering) in particularly large amounts, obtained by criminal means, using official position. In the course of the preliminary investigation, a ban was imposed on the property of the accused and the persons affiliated with him. The preliminary investigation under the criminal proceedings has been completed.
The materials of the proceedings, together with the indictment, have been sent to the supervising prosecutor with a motion for its approval and referral to the court.
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.
