Investigation into Case of Ex-MoD Official Haykaz Baghmanyan Completed

The preliminary investigation regarding former high-ranking Ministry of Defense official Haykaz Baghmanyan, accused of illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities and money laundering in particularly large amounts, has been completed.

As a result of large-scale evidentiary and other procedural actions carried out within the framework of the criminal proceeding investigated by the RA Anti-Corruption Committee, it was revealed that H.B., who held the posts of commander of the 5th Army Corps of the RA Ministry of Defense, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, and Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization between 1999 and 2020, contrary to the prohibition established by law, participated in the management of the said company with the assistance of his close associate, the director of a commercial organization, having a de facto 25 percent share in it, which was registered in his wife's name.

Specifically, the preliminary investigation revealed that from 2011 to 2018, the aforementioned commercial organization received a profit of more than 1 billion AMD, of which the 25 percent share actually belonging to H.B. amounted to 251 million AMD. Moreover, in separate cases, a partner of the said organization, a company registered in the Kingdom of Sweden, made payments for supplies in full to H.B.'s personal bank account.

After that, with the aim of concealing the criminal origin of the particularly large amounts of money received as a result of illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities combined with providing privileges to the commercial organization and patronizing its activities, he legalized them through a series of bank transfers and conversions, including by acquiring property in the names of other persons and disposing of it at his discretion.

Moreover, H.B., having invested the acquired real estate in the authorized capital of the commercial organization, later sold it to a third company for 919 million 600 thousand AMD, ensuring the legalization of the particularly large amount of money obtained through criminal means.

In addition, the preliminary investigation has substantiated that H.B., being a declaring official, concealed data on property and income in his declarations submitted to the Ethics Commission for High-Ranking Officials, and then to the Corruption Prevention Commission, which resulted in the non-declaration of property and income in particularly large amounts. The latter, in particular, among other things, did not declare a "MERCEDES-BENZ S500" car worth about 102 million AMD, as well as amounts received as income in different years.

For money laundering in particularly large amounts, illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities, as well as for concealing data subject to declaration, H.B. has been charged under Article 190, Part 3, Clause 1 of the former Criminal Code of the RA, Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the RA, and Article 314.3, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RA (5 episodes). A bail of 40 million AMD and a ban on leaving the RA have been applied to him as a preventive measure.

The preliminary investigation in the criminal proceeding has been completed. The materials of the proceeding with the indictment have been handed over to the supervising prosecutor with a motion to confirm it and send it to court.