Damage in the amount of 5.7 billion drams caused to corruption by  water abuse

ArmInfo.In criminal cases investigated under the control of prosecutors of the regional  divisions of the prosecutor's office of the Republic of Armenia,  measures are continuing to comprehensively disclose corruption abuses  recorded in the course of the activities of numerous water user  companies operating in the republic.

In 2018 - 2019 During the investigation, a total of 13 criminal cases  were initiated and are currently under investigation. These include  Water Consumer Societies operating in Lori, Shirak, Kotayk, Armavir,  Ararat, Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik regions, in particular: Ararat,  Artashat, Talin, Aragatsotn, Kotayk, Lori , Martuni, Shenik, Yerevan,  Echmiadzin and Armavir.

In particular, in some cases in 2016-2018. using their official  position, persons holding OPV leadership positions violated the  initial requirements of water supply services contracts concluded  with subscribers without installing water meters, fixed the volumes  of water supplied not by cubic meters, but based on hectares of land.

Because of this, subscribers actually lost the ability to control the  volume of supplied irrigation water.  In addition, additions were  made, after which these data were recorded in electronic journals as  data on the supplied water, services and total debts collected from  subscribers, and the volumes of services provided were actually  inflated.

In order to pay off debts of water users formed by such artificial  methods and to recover losses resulting from hail in 2016 - 2017. The  financial resources subsidized from the budget of the Republic of  Armenia credited to the balance of companies were drawn up by  accountants as repayment of debts accumulated in the name of  subscribers.

In some cases, formal leases and the acquisition of various services  were concluded, which were not provided in full or were not provided  at all.

These schemes were applied in the conditions of inadequate  fulfillment by the competent employees of the Water Committee of the  MENR (Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources) of Armenia of their  duties to control the illegal supply and use of water, their unfair  attitude to the service. In the case of some OPVs, it was recorded  that fake contracts were drawn up with citizens absent from Armenia,  in which the latter were indicated as water users. And the amounts in  especially large amounts, issued for actually not completed work,  were assigned.  According to preliminary estimates, due to these  abuses, the damage caused to the state during the preliminary  investigation amounted to about 5.7 billion drams.

In a criminal case initiated on the fact of appropriation of amounts  in especially large amounts, forgery and use of documents by a group  of persons by prior conspiracy, official negligence, which entailed  serious consequences, according to which the preliminary calculated  damage to the state exceeds 1 billion drams.  The person holding the  post of director of the Armavir OPV was indicted on an especially  large scale misappropriation and embezzlement basis.

The progress and results of the preliminary investigation in criminal  cases investigated under these crimes will be periodically reported.