The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia detected that since 2013 the officials of meteorological stations of Artik, Gyumri and Amasia of “Center for hydrometeorology and monitoring” SNCO (hereinafter-the Organization) of the Ministry of Environment of the RA abusing their official position, with prior agreement for mercenary motives, during the years in office, at various periods formally involved seventeen persons in total in the work of the territorial subdivisions of the organization, who actually did not attend work, did not fulfill their functional duties, and from the sums written out in the name of these employees, they received monthly salaries in the amount of 60,000-75,000 AMD in cash, and later through bank transfers.

In particular, the mentioned officials of the Organization in the period from 2014 to July 2020, for the employees of meteorological subdivisions who did not attend work, drew up and approved by their signatures an official document granting the right, and forged documents that are the basis for calculating wages, in which were entered false information about the attendance of these employees, their working hours and performance of functional duties. Then, having introduced forged documents into circulation, they submitted them for payment, as a result of which salaries in especially large amounts-a total of about 30.700.000 AMD were unjustifiably written out from the Organization's budget in the name of these employees, after which the mentioned officials, using their official positions, stole them by embezzlement.

In connection with the incident a criminal case was initiated in the Investigation Department of the RA NSS on the grounds of the elements of crime envisaged by Article 179, Part 3, Clause 1 of the RA Criminal Code and Article 314, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code; preliminary investigation is being conducted.

Appropriate measures are being taken in the direction of detecting the full circle of the persons involved in the corruption scheme, personalizing the actions of each of them, giving an adequate criminal-legal assessment.

Note: The suspect or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent as long as his guilt is not proven in a manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of RA - by the court decision entered into legal force.