Yerevan district officials charged with bribery

Armenia’s Investigative Committee has sent a bribery case to the Anti-Corruption Court after completing an investigation into two officials from Yerevan’s Arabkir district administration.

According to the law-enforcement agency, a senior specialist and a department head allegedly acted together to demand and receive bribes from the owner of several garages. The officials had reportedly known that the rental contracts for the land under the garages had expired. They are accused of requesting payments in exchange for reducing rental fees, ensuring the smooth extension of the contracts, and submitting official applications on the owner’s behalf.

The senior specialist has been charged under Article 435 (2)(1,3) of the Criminal Code and has been placed in pre-trial detention. The department head faces the same charges and has been banned from leaving Armenia, with his official duties suspended. The garage owner has also been charged with giving bribes.

The case has now been forwarded to the Anti-Corruption Court with an indictment.