Tuesday, July 28 2020 15:42

ArmInfo.The Main Directorate for Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee continues the preliminary investigation of the criminal  case concerning the abuse in the implementation of the North-South  investment program.

As the IC recalls, on September 20, 2019, charges were brought  against the director of the Multi Group concern Sedrak Arustamyan, as  well as Gurgen Sargsyan and Suren Avagyan, who managed the activities  of the Stones company, which is a subcontractor of the Chinese  company Sinohydro Corporation (contractor of the "North-South" 3rd  tranche program). The charges were also brought against the chief  accountant of Stones LLC, as well as the directors of MS Consulting  LLC and Gevorgyan Consulting LLC, who provided consulting services to  the company.

In particular, it turned out that an agreement was reached with  Gurgen Sargsyan and Suren Avagyan, who actually manage the activities  of Stones LLC, within the framework of the North-South subprogram, at  the instigation of representatives of the Armenian branch of the  Sinohydro Corporation, on the withdrawal from the company financial  means by issuing tax invoices without providing services to the  Armenian branch of Sinohydro Corporation LLC, as well as facilitating  the company's tax evasion on an especially large scale. According to  the agreement reached between Sedrak Arustamyan, Suren Avagyan and  Gurgen Sargsyan, the latter, through the chief accountant of the  company, without the purpose of carrying out entrepreneurial  activities, on October 10 and November 11, 2016, founded MS  Consulting LLC and Gevorgyan Consulting, respectively, with whom the  company "Stones" in the same period signed contracts for the alleged  acquisition of consulting services. Within the framework of the above  agreements, under the guise of purchasing services, a total of  1,162,260,574 drams were transferred to Stones LLC through 7  transfers until April 4, 2017. In order to conceal the criminal  origin of the funds, a part of the funds was transferred from the  chief accountant of Stones to MC Consulting and Gevorgyan Consulting,  allegedly as an advance payment for their services and other  expenses. The sum of 226.9 million drams was personally transferred  to Sedrak Arustamyan. As a result of the implementation of the  aforementioned schemes, the Armenian branch of "Sinohydro  Corporation" LLC avoided paying taxes in the amount of 240.321.559  AMD. Taking into account the above, as well as the calculation of  fines, the total amount of damage caused is AMD 2.729.457.229.

On March 23, 2020, the chief accountant was charged under paragraph 2  of part 4 of Article 38-311 of the RA Criminal Code. Taking into  account the new evidence, on July 21 the chief accountant was charged  with new charges under parts 1 and 3 of article 189, paragraph 1 of  part 3 of article 190, part 2 of article 38- 205, part 1 of article  313 and part 2 of article 325 of the RA Criminal Code. Arrest was  chosen as a measure of restraint against him. The investigation  continues.