On 21 December, 2022, the supervising prosecutor decided to initiate a public criminal prosecution against Mihran Poghosyan’s security guard E.S. and driver H.B. Mihran Poghosyan held the position of RA Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer in 2008-2016.
The General Prosecutor’s Office informed.
During the criminal proceedings investigated by the Anti-Corruption Committee, factual data were obtained that H.B. and E.S. assisted the former Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer M.P., in using the official position to embezzle especially large amounts of another person’s property in a wasteful manner.
In particular, the former Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer M.P. appointed his personal bodyguard E.S. (from September 2008 to April 2016) as a first-class consultant of the operative department of the enforcement department for the enforcement of judicial acts, and M.P.’s personal driver H.B. (from 3 November, 2009 to April 2016) as a senior consultant in the same department, but assigned them to ensure his personal security instead of exercising their statutory powers. Subsequently, E.S. and H.B., as security guard and driver, accompanied the former Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer M.P. at all times on his personal assignments. Thus, they, as employees of the Operative Department of the Compulsory Enforcement Service, did not actually go to work, but they received a salary and payments equal to it on the instructions of the M.P., from the resources of the state budget of the RA, as well as from the resources of the fund for the material encouragement and system development of the Compulsory Enforcement Service under the management of the Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer.
As a result, the Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer M.P., using his official position, embezzled a total of 22 million 117 thousand 820 drams from the funds of the state budget in the case of E.S., and 21 million 754 thousand 643 drams in the case of H.B. respectively.
On 22 December, 2022, the decisions to initiate a public criminal prosecution were sent to the RA Anti-Corruption Committee for the purpose of filing charges.
Prior to this, on 20 May, 2022, a decision was made to indict the former Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer M.P. as an accused for the fact that he, occupying the position of RA Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer, embezzled particularly large amounts of property in five separate cases; misused, as well as exceeded his official powers, which negligently caused grave consequences, and legalized particularly large amounts of property obtained through criminal means.
In particular, in 2013-2015 and during the first quarter of 2016, in order to cover his official and personal needs, the former Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer M.P. used the funds allocated to the Enforcement Service of the state budget, as well as material incentives and funds under the management of the Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer from the means of the system development fund, he wrote off the annual cost of maintaining one car from the state budget for the four cars serving him: gasoline in the quantity and amount exceeding 1 million 200 thousand drams. As a result, M.P., using his official position, embezzled the sum of 40 million 746 thousand 500 drams entrusted to him from the state budget.
In addition, M.P., during his tenure as the Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer of the Republic of Armenia, appointed his close associates to various positions in the Security Service of the RA Ministry of Justice. They did not appear at work, they did not fulfill their functional duties, however, particularly large sums of 59 million 39 thousand 668 AMD were calculated in their name and paid from the funds of the state budget.
M.P., being an official person, contrary to the prohibition established by the law, founded an organization carrying out business activities, participated through proxies in the management of various organizations, including those established abroad, as well as using his official position, abusing and exceeding it, based on self and personal interest, created advantages and favorable conditions for him and related persons to engage in economic activity. Further, he hid the real source of the origin of the particularly large property acquired as a result of his participation in illegal business activities, 1 million 190 thousand USD equivalent to 568 million 830 thousand AMD, thus legalizing it.
Note: A person that is suspected or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent until his/her guilt is proved by a court judgment that has come into legal effect pursuant to the procedure determined by RA Criminal Procedure Code.
