In the criminal cases investigated under the supervision of the prosecutors of the regional divisions of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia, measures are being taken to comprehensively reveal the corruption abuses recorded during the activities of many water-using companies operating in the territory of the republic.
The investigation carried out by the Department of Corruption Crimes of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office revealed that in the field of activities of water-using companies, the competent officials of the latter use their powers against the interests of the organization and for the benefit of themselves or other persons, abuse of powers, falsification and use of documents by a group of persons with prior consent, employees of wasting or misappropriating large amounts of money with prior consent, with the characteristics of official negligence in 2018-2019. a total of 13 criminal cases were initiated and are currently being investigated. The latter refer to “Ararat”, “Artashat”, “Talin”, “Aragatsotn”, “Kotayk”, “Lori”, “Martuni”, “Shenik” operating in the marzes of Lori, Shirak, Kotayk, Armavir, Ararat, Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik. “Yerevan”, “Echmiadzin” and “Armavir” WPPs.
From the combined analysis of the factual data obtained during the preliminary investigation in criminal cases, it becomes obvious that for years corruption schemes of abuse formed with the participation of WPPs have been operating, which were manifested by falsification of data on the provision of water use services, supplied water quantities, losses incurred, embezzlement of subsidy amounts received from the state budget. : In particular, in some cases in 2016-2018 During this period, the persons holding management positions of the WPP, using their official position, violated the basic requirements of the contracts for providing water supply services concluded with customers, without installing water meters, they recorded the volumes of supplied water not in cubic meters, but in hectares. Due to the latter, the subscribers were actually deprived of the opportunity to control the volumes of supplied irrigation water. In addition, additions were made, after which these data were included in the electronic ledgers as the data of supplied water, services and monetary debts charged from subscribers, actually exaggerating the volumes of rendered services.
In 2016-2017, in order to pay off the debts of water users incurred by these artificial methods and to restore the damages caused by hailstorms. Financial funds subsidized from the RA budget, entered into the companies’ balance sheets, were formulated in accounting terms as repayment of debts accumulated in the name of subscribers. In some cases, formal contracts were signed regarding the lease and the purchase of various services, with the provided services not being provided in full or not at all. These schemes were applied in the conditions of the competent employees of the Water Committee of the RA Ministry of EEP, improperly fulfilling their duties to control illegal water supply and water use, and showing dishonest attitude towards their service. In the case of separate WOEs, cases were recorded when, in the absence of citizens from RA, false employment contracts were drawn up with them, on the basis of which the latter were decreed as water distributors. And the particularly large sums written off for the work they did not actually perform were embezzled.
Due to the mentioned abuses, according to the preliminary calculation made during the preliminary investigation, the damage caused to the state amounted to around 5.7 billion drams. In order to ensure a fully objective and comprehensive investigation in criminal cases, measures are taken to complete the circles of persons involved in criminal schemes, to give legal evaluations to the actions of each of them, to specify and restore the amount of material damage caused to the state by abuses.
According to the criminal case initiated by relevant officials of “Echmiadzin” and “Armavir” JOEs, using their official position to embezzle particularly large sums of money, falsifying and using documents by a group of persons with prior consent, official negligence that caused serious consequences, by which only preliminary calculation: the damage caused to the state exceeds 1 billion AMD, an accusation was made in 2016-2017 under Article 179, Part 3, Clause 1 of the RA Criminal Code. To the person holding the position of director of “Armavir” JOE.
Information on the progress and results of the preliminary investigation in the criminal cases investigated in cases of crimes of the specified nature will be regularly provided.
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