Among the high-ranking state officials there are many individuals who received substantial donations during the years of office, and the public has not been informed about it. High-ranking police officers are not an exception.

Chief of the RA Police Vladimir Gasparyan has declared 4 million AMD in the annual income line for 2011, which was received from the donation.

In the same year his wife, Irina Gasparyan, received a 15,000 USD donation. During the same year, she inherited 58 million AMD as well.

The son of the First Deputy Chief of the Police  Hunan Poghosyan also received a donation of 140 million AMD.In 2011 and Hrachya Poghosyan, who had no income for that year, acquired a land plot with 140 million AMD, supposedly, with the donated money. By the way, until 2014 the boy did not have any income, and in 2015, his income totaled to 437 thousand AMD received from the salary.

Deputy Chief of Police Samvel Hovhannisyan mentioned in the line of income of his annual statement for 2015 that 30.109 million AMD donations were received. During the same year, he also acquired an apartment in a multi-apartment building for the same sum. In other words, it is assumed that the Deputy Chief of Police received an apartment as a gift.

Anubagh Hambaryan , another Deputy Chief of Police, also received a donation of 24.61 million AMD in 2015, and bought an apartment of the same value. In this case, it is also possible that the apartment was received as a gift.

Deputy Chief of Police Vardan Yeghiazaryan recievbed 27.23 million AMD in 2015 as well, and bought an apartment in the same year. However, the donated apartment was alienated during the same year. But, there is no indication of the cost of the alienation.

We tried to find out from the police from which sources the police officers and their friends had received such valuable gifts. In response to our inquiry, Hovhannes Kocharyan, the Head of legal department of the Police, said:

“According to Article 37 (2) of the RA Law on Public Service, the list, content and form of the data subject to publication(s) included in the declaration shall be defined by the Government of the Republic of Armenia. The list of data to be published may not contain personal, property identification information.”

Then Hovhannes Kocharyan cites the Government decision number 1835 of November 2011, according to which the declarations of high ranking officials and affiliated persons are subject to publication in the declaration: the type, currency, income (foreign currency), the size of income, the total amount, in cash and in kind.

“Thus, data on the donation made (the donator) and the donation purpose(s) include information identifying the individual and property, hence, based on Article 8 (1) (2) of the RA Law on Freedom of Information, their provision is declined,” H. Kocharyan said.

In fact, high-ranking officials receive expensive gifts and the law supports to hide sources from which they had been received.