National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, being faithful to the adopted policy of eliminating various manifestations of corruption, as a result of operational and search measures and investigative activities undertaken within the functions vested upon it by law and aimed at countering corruption, detected another case of abusing of powers and receiving and giving bribe in especially large amount.

According to the received factual information, the two chief tax inspectors of the Comprehensive Tax Audit Department of the RA State Revenue Committee, as state servants and granted with official authority, while carrying out the comprehensive tax audit in one of the economic entities in accordance with the requirements of the president of the RA SRC, have abused their power against of service benefits for personal interests and have not committed their official duties.

In particular, the mentioned individuals, have not taken measures towards preventing and detecting the law violation, they have not recorded the detected violations in their act, thereby causing substantial damage in lawful benefits of state.
The state body, the RA State Revenue Committee has been discredited and its normal functioning has been disrupted, which created beneficial conditions for concealing the law violation and committing new law violation and causing grave consequences.

The above mentioned individuals, instead of implementing official  duties, with prior agreement within the framework of their powers for the benefit of company’s director in order not to commit activities i.e. not to register detected law violations                          and not to create additional tax liabilities, in early March 2020 they have demanded 30.000 US dollars (equivalent to 14.807.400 AMD) bribe in especially large amount from latter, with the help of individual who handles accounting of the mentioned economic entity. On 20.04.2020 one of the inspectors received part of sum 4.000.000 AMD from director of LTD in the 15th kilometer of the Yerevan-Sevan road under the control of the officers of operational subdivisions of the RA NSS, after which the mentioned individuals have been caught and brought in.

А criminal case was initiated in the Investigation Department of the RA NSS on the fact of an apparent crime, according to the corresponding articles of the RA Criminal Code, four suspected individuals of an alleged crime have been detained.
During the search, the bribe was detected in one of the inspectors car and the head of economic entity  was acknowledged giving the bribe and claimed it during the cross-examination. Two inspectors, implementing the audit, have been charged and detention has been chosen by the court as a measure of restraint.

 The preliminary investigation is in process, measures are being taken to detect other persons involved in the criminal scheme, to give equivalent criminal law assessment to the acts and to clarify damage caused.

Note: The suspect or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent as long as his/her guilt is not proven in a manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of RA - by the court decision entered into legal force.