As a result of a comprehensive and effective investigation conducted by the Investigation Department of the RA National Security Service, sufficient factual data were obtained that the citizen of the Republic of Armenia had previously been to the Republic of Turkey many times and during this time came to the attention of the Azerbaijani intelligence services, which launched activities in this country, and was recruited by a representative of the mentioned organization. Then, having returned to his permanent place of residence, the citizen of the Republic of Armenia, through an acquaintance living in Turkey, gave his mobile phone number to the employee of the foreign intelligence service.

As a result, the citizen of the Republic of Armenia, during telephone conversations, accepted from a representative of the mentioned organization carrying out hostile activities a proposal to carry out criminal activities, to obtain information containing state secrets about the armed forces, weapons and other information, or to transfer information already available to him for a fee to the detriment of territorial integrity and external security of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, after which he signed and sent an agreement with the corresponding content to the mentioned person via a social network and chose a pseudonym.

After this, in order to carry out hostile activities, a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, in the course of criminal activities carried out in connection with providing assistance to a representative of a foreign organization, collected data constituting state and official secrets, as well as information of other nature, which was both personally and with the help of his wife during the Internet connection with the employee of the foreign intelligence service transferred to the latter and received about 1.500 USD as remuneration.

Based on the totality of sufficient evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation, a citizen of the Republic of Armenia was brought in as an accused of committing the described acts and was charged on the grounds of Article 299, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code, and arrest was applied as a measure of restraint.

For assistance in committing high treason, the wife of the RA citizen was also charged as an accused, in respect of whom a measure of restraint not related to imprisonment was chosen.

The accused pleaded fully guilty to the charges and made confessionary statements.

On April 5, 2021, the criminal case against the 2 mentioned persons with an indictment was sent to the prosecutor in charge of the procedural management of the preliminary investigation, for approval of the indictment and sending the case to court for consideration on the merits.

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia warns that it will carry out a consistent and irreconcilable fight aimed at detecting, preventing and disrupting intelligence activities of intelligence services and other organizations of foreign states, as well as individuals, and will continue to implement effective measures aimed at protecting the security of the individual, society and state, constitutional system, rights and freedoms of citizens from external and internal threats.

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