Former Armenian PM Hovik Abrahamyan Charged in Corruption Case

The pre-trial investigation conducted within the framework of a multi-episode criminal proceeding examined by the Anti-Corruption Committee of the RA has revealed that H. A., during his tenure as the Minister of Territorial Administration of the RA, the Chief of Staff of the President of the RA, and the Prime Minister of the RA, using his position and influence over state and local self-government bodies, instructed to organize illegal auctions. As a result, he acquired land plots with a total area of about 75,000 sq. m. in the Dilijan community of Tavush region, arable land and pastures with a total area of 120 ha in the Narek community of Ararat region, and land plots with a total area of 48.4092 ha in the Mkhchyan community at a price significantly lower than the market value.

As a result, the aforementioned real estate, acquired at a price significantly lower than the market value, was removed from the property funds of the communities without a legal basis. Subsequently, to conceal the criminal origin of the said real estate with a market value of about 240 million AMD, H. A. ensured their registration in the names of his close associates and later, through sham transactions, registered a significant part of the properties in the name of his wife, as well as a company managed by him, thereby actually disposing of and possessing them.

Furthermore, the former high-ranking official was illegally involved in entrepreneurial activities, patronizing commercial organizations engaged in illegal sand mining, including "Metsn Hovnan" LLC, founded in the name of a person affiliated with him.

Specifically, H. A., driven by personal motives to take over "Avazahatik" LLC, which was conducting sand mining in an area adjacent to the plot allocated to the aforementioned company between 2006-2016, to effectively merge the two companies, and as a result, to carry out more profitable economic activities, participated in the management of the two above-mentioned sand mining companies through his brother, the latter's son, and other persons between 2008-2015 and received a particularly large profit of about 230 million AMD from the operation of the "Avazahatik" LLC sand mine.

Subsequently, in order to conceal the criminal origin of the property acquired as a result of illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity, H. A. mixed the aforementioned sum with his other incomes, and then gave it a legal appearance through various civil law transactions, including acquiring various properties and conducting various banking transactions.

In addition, the pre-trial investigation revealed that H. A. did not take effective measures to prevent the illegal sand mining carried out in violation of the established procedure by the company of the person affiliated with him. Specifically, during 2014-2016 and thereafter, the aforementioned person affiliated with H. A. did not carry out land use in accordance with the coordinates of the plot provided for subsoil use, but instead carried out sand mining directly from the bed of the Araks River in its estuary section, deepening its bottom by about two meters. As a result of these actions, soil degradation occurred in an area of 5950 sq. m. in the vicinity of the company's sand washing plant, which resulted in the change and drying up of the main channel of the Araks River, about 6 km long, in the corresponding section of the RA state border, creating an island with an area of 307.82 ha near the border.

For the commission of the above-mentioned criminal acts, H. A. has been charged with abuse of official powers, exceeding official powers, illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity, and legalization (money laundering) of property obtained by criminal means in particularly large amounts using his official position. During the pre-trial investigation, the properties of the accused and persons affiliated with him were frozen.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings has been completed. The materials of the proceedings with the indictment have been handed over to the supervising prosecutor with a motion to approve it and send it to court.

Notice: A person accused of a crime is considered innocent until his or her guilt is proven in the manner prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code of the RA by a court verdict that has entered into legal force.