Saturday, April 14 2018 13:18

ArmInfo. A preliminary investigation into the criminal case on embezzlement of money in especially large amounts from the grant funds allocated by the delegation of the European Union to the public organizations was completed in the Main Directorate for especially important cases of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. The amount of the stolen amount for 18 grant programs exceeds 907 million AMD.

As the press service of the Armenian Investigative Committee informs,  following the results of large-scale investigative actions taken  within the framework of the criminal case, the investigation produced  enough evidence indicating that during 2009-2016, a group of persons,  by preliminary arrangement, developed grant programs, acquired public  organizations already registered and having a history, through which  they submitted programs for the competition announced by the EU  delegation to Armenia. Presented programs with the assistance of an  employee of the EU delegation were approved and allocated the amounts  provided for their implementation.  The said persons made false  accounting, financial and economic and programmatic documents, in  particular, false labor agreements and contracts for the provision of  services, documents on the acquisition of goods, travel coupons, on  the basis of which the amount in especially large scale was stolen.

As a result of a comprehensive investigation, as the IC reports,  sufficient evidence has been obtained that the thefts were committed  under 18 grant programs funded by the EU delegation in Armenia, and  the total stolen amount is 907.281.869.7 AMD.

According to the totality of the extracted evidence, 19 persons are  charged for embezzlement on a particularly large scale by means of  fraud and assistance in embezzlement by prior agreement, and a group  of persons for preparing false documents by prior agreement. The case  of 14 persons was given to a separate proceeding, it was announced  that the preliminary investigation had been completed.

According to the Criminal Code of Armenia, in particular, charges  were brought against the coordinator of the grant programs of the EU  delegation to Armenia, Marina Papyan, Tigran Sukiasyan, Garik  Chilingaryan, Rubine Ter-Martirosyan, Armen Bareghamyan, Gevorg  Kazaryan, Dina Manukyan, Sergei Balasanyan, Karen Stepanyan, Armen  Miqaelyan, Arman Mkrtchyan, Anahit Avagyan and Nelli Sedrakyan.

A criminal case involving 14 defendants with an indictment was sent  to the court. The investigation into the rest of the criminal case  continues.

Earlier, in April 2017, the European Union Delegation to Armenia  informed the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) about possible  violations in connection with the programs financed by the EU. As the  press service of the EU delegation to Armenia told ArmInfo, the  European Bureau for Anti-Fraud conducted an investigation and  informed the RA authorities about it, which, on the proposal of the  office, is carrying out an investigation of the case. "The European  Union fully adheres to the fight against corruption and organized  crime and will continue to support the implementation of a full,  effective and transparent investigation into any dubious violation.  The EU delegation in Armenia reminds that the presumption of  innocence must be applied," the report said. According to the  Investigation Committee, on the basis of the evidence obtained, the  head of the programs of the office of the EU delegation in Armenia  was charged under clause 1, part 3, article 178 (7 episodes) of the  RA Criminal Code (Fraud in especially large amounts). An application  was submitted to the court for applying preventive measures against  the program manager in the form of detention.