Employees of the Shirak Regional Department of the RA National Security Service, pursuing a consistent fight against corruption phenomena, cooperating with the employees of the Investigation Department of the RA National Security Service, have detected cases of giving and receiving bribes, as well as illegal remuneration by officials of the Unified Social Service of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and public servants not being officials.

Thus.

A citizen of Gyumri city H.M., holding the position of the head of the department of medical and social expertise of the office of medical and social expertise of the Unified Social Service of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, having learned about the desire of citizen S.S. to receive a third group of disability in the absence of incompatible health problems, without conducting a medical-social objective expertise and a proper medical examination, as the head of the commission within the framework of his powers for committing deliberately illegal actions in favor of the latter, namely, evading appropriate examinations and giving an objective conclusion, and for registration of the third group of disability without obstacles, demanded and received a bribe.

The official, according to the agreement reached, on 10 March, 2021, subjected the beneficiary to a re-examination and, without appropriate factual and legal grounds, recognized him as a disabled person of the third group.

In addition to the above, H.M., having learnt about the presence of heart problems in the mother of his acquaintance A.V., as well as the desire to perform the operation free of charge at the expanse of state funds because of being in a difficult financial situation, as the head of the commission for committing, within the framework of his powers in favor of the latter, deliberately illegal actions, namely, evading the conduct of appropriate examinations and giving an objective opinion, the unimpeded registration of the second group of disability and, in accordance with this, for providing the opportunity to make a free operation at the expense of state funds, accepted the offer to give a bribe on a large scale.

According to the agreement reached, on 26 May, 2021, he conducted an initial examination of A.V. and without proper examination of the documents confirming the presence of the relevant diseases, he drew up and confirmed with his signature and seal the administrative proceeding protocol forged in content, in which he included apparent false information that, according to the results of the examination, the person was recognized as a disabled person of the second group.

According to the factual data obtained during the preliminary investigation of another criminal case, it was established that the chief specialist of the territorial department of social assistance “Gyumri-1”, public servant A.A. for the inclusion in social assistance programs of a number of citizens registered in Gyumri who are beneficiaries of social assistance programs, and for continuing to pay benefits next year for the period from 2011 to May 25, 2021, he demanded and personally received an illegal remuneration on an especially large scale.

In the mentioned cases in the Investigation Department of the RA NSS criminal cases have been initiated. As a result of large-scale investigative and other procedural actions carried out in these cases, the identities of persons involved in corruption schemes were detected, including bribe-givers, bribe-takers, accomplices who were brought to the Shirak regional department of the RA NSS and gave self-confessed testimonies.

Four persons have been arrested on the basis of the initiated criminal case, a total of 16 persons were charged on the basis of sufficient evidence in the criminal case.

Complex measures are being taken in the directions of finding out all the circumstances of the case, the full circle of persons who have committed the apparent crime, giving an adequate criminal-legal assessment to their actions.

The National Security Service informs that the modus operandi of detecting corruiption manifestations in various spheres of public administration, their complete eradication will be continuous, and warns that in this regard will take intolerant approach and urges to show law-abiding behavior.

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.