As a result of large-scale investigative and procedural actions undertaken, as well as complex operative-search measures, the employees of the Department of Economic Security and Countering Corruption and the Shirak Regional Directorate of the RA National Security Service, pursuing a consistent fight against corruption phenoma, cooperating with the employees of the Investigation Department of the NSS of RA, detected cases of receiving bribe by the director of the Gyumri Territorial Center of the State Employment Agency of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and his subordinate employees, and giving them a bribe.

Thus.

On the basis of a body of sufficient evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation on the criminal case initiated by the Investigation Department of the RA National Security Service, it was established that the director of the Gyumri Territorial Employment Center subordinate to the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, A.A., being an official, by prior agreement with his subordinate employees, who are officials, for performing actions within their powers in favor of the beneficiaries of the "State employment agency", namely: to be included in the programs “Providing a one-time compensation to the employer in case of employing persons uncompetitive in the labor market”, “Providing support in organizing childcare in parallel with work in case of mothers who are on parental leave before the child reaches 2 years of age” and “Providing support to small business and animal husbandry” and providing financial assistance from public funds, in February-March 2021, in his office of the Gyumri Territorial Employment Center, personally or through his employees, a number of citizens in covert, demanded and received a bribe in the form of large sums, and then allocated the amount as a share and transferred to employees under his command.

Once again, on 19 March, 2021, immediately after receiving money for providing support for animal husbandry from the beneficiary of the program and socially disadvantaged A.M. and after the transfer of the amount of 50,000 AMD received as a bribe to the Deputy Director of the Gyumri Territorial Employment Center, the latter and other employees of the employment center were detained and brought to the Shirak Regional Directorate of the RA National Security Service.

Based on sufficient body of evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case, a total of 9 persons, of whom 8 were women, including the director and deputy director of the territorial employment center, as well as 6 specialists subordinate to them were detained investigators of the Investigation Department of the RA National Security Service. All of them, including the director of the center, under pressure from the irrefutable facts obtained in the case, gave confessions and supported the preliminary investigation body in the full disclosure of the corruption mechanism.

In the preliminary investigation of the criminal case, the identities of the citizens who had given a bribe to the employees of the employment center were also detected, one of whom was detained, and against others, a written undertaking not to leave was chosen as a measure of restraint.

As a result of more than two dozens of searches, numerous items of significance to the case were found and seized, including bribes, documents containing records of bribe givers, notebooks, etc.

Decisions were made by the investigator conducting the criminal case on the temporary removal from office of suspects in the public service.

Active criminal procedural and operative-search measures are being taken to detect other corruption crimes committed by employees of the Gyumri Territorial Center of the State Employment Agency of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and identities of persons involved in them

The RA National Security Service urges citizens and employees of state and municipal bodies to show exclusively law-abiding behavior, at the same time to take into account that the public danger of giving, receiving bribe and illegal remuneration is so great that it not only undermines the normal  activities of state-power and administrative structures harms their authority, but is a big problem in all countries building a civil social system, which can delay the creation of a civil society in power systems, the construction of a democratic social system, destroying all those initiatives that are aimed at improving public relations, at increasing the well-being of people.

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.