As a result of large-scale and combined operative-search measures taken by officers of the Department of Economic Security and Countering Corruption of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, an organized and long-term criminal mechanism was detected and prevented for the importation of goods into RA in large quantities by an economic entity in the course of foreign economic activity without proper customs control on the basis of false declarations that do not correspond to reality, as a result of which the economic entity deliberately evaded paying taxes and duties on an especially large scale to the RA state budget.

In particular, brothers R.K., H.K. and K.K., who actually manage several companies, by prior agreement with a number of economic entities involved in the sale of goods of Chinese and Turkish production in the shopping centers operating in RA, on the import into RA of a large batch of clothes of Chinese and Turkish production, purchased by the latter from Turkey for commercial purposes without proper clearance and customs payments. For each kilogram of goods smuggled into RA, economic entities paid the brothers an average amount equivalent to 4 USD. According to the current criminal mechanism, R.K., H.K. and K.K., periodically imported goods from Georgia to RA, loaded simultaneously into two trucks, of which the first was loaded with fruits and vegetables and which was properly executed in customs documents, and the second was loaded with clothes and other goods of Turkish and Chinese production, however, in the customs documents they were executed as fruits and vegetables. Immediately after the preliminary clearance at the border checkpoint, the truck with legal cargo went to the customs warehouse operating in Yerevan in order to carry out customs clearance, and the truck loaded with illegal cargo at the border checkpoint after the preliminary clearance of the goods as fruits and vegetables immediately headed for a warehouse in Aragatsotn province rented by R.K., H.K. and K.K., where, with the assistance of other persons involved in the criminal mechanism, the illegally imported clothes were unloaded by the latter without moving and removing the lead seal placed at the customs post and immediately delivered to trading points belonging to economic entities, after which the legally imported and customs-cleared goods loaded onto the first truck were delivered to the same warehouse where the fruits and vegetables cleared under the customs procedure were loaded instead of illegally-cleared clothes and sent to the customs terminal for customs clearance.

On this fact, on November 19, 2022, criminal proceedings were initiated in the Investigation Department of the National Security Service of RA under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of RA, which were sent to the Armavir Regional Department of the RA Investigative Committee in accordance with the rules of investigative jurisdiction.

On December 17, 2022, as a result of the large-scale operative-search and procedural measures carried out in order to suppress criminal activity, the officers of the National Security Service of RA and the Investigative Committee of RA prevented another case of importation of clothes by the above-described criminal means, as a result of which, a truck with a Georgian registration plate was found in the warehouse rented by R.K., H.K. and K.K in the Aragatsotn province of RA with a Georgian license plate was found, which actually contained more than 9.5 tons of clothes, which, however, were indicated as tangerines in the customs transit documents of the truck.

As part of the criminal proceedings, 4 persons were detained based on directly arisen reasonable suspicion, and motions were filed to the court for the application of a measure of restraint in respect of them in the form of arrest.

The preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings continues, the necessary investigative actions and operative-search measures are being taken to identify all the circumstances of the case and the possible involvement of officials in the criminal mechanism and to apply criminal law measures against them.

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.