2018 August 30

Anti-Corruption Daily

Anti-Corruption Aug/30/2018: Serj Sargsyan is implicated in an extortion case brought by a businessman; he is accused of stealing a business from the alleged victim and launching a manufactured criminal case against him. Corruption scheme busted in the police department. (MORE STORIES BELOW)
by ar_david_hh

Disclaimer: All the accused are innocent until proven guilty by the court of law, even if they may sound as being guilty. Currency in Armenian Drams ֏ unless specified otherwise.

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MOAB! The second president Serj Sargsyan is implicated in an investigation where an investor businessman claims Sargsyan committed crimes. Serj and others are accused of illegally hiding a bank’s poor financial conditions before selling it to the businessman. When the man found out about it and complained, he was allegedly forced to give the bank shares to Serj, and a persecution was initiated against him. Several of his businesses, including mines and trading centers, were taken away and a false criminal case was launched on 2009, to keep him out of the country. The man sought refuge in Russia.

Armenian authorities wanted the Russians to extradite him, but the Russians reviewed the case and refused to extradite him to Armenia, ruling the charges as fabricated. The Armenian authorities also dropped the charged, but launched another criminal case against him.

Now, the Armenian prosecutor has re-opened the case and this time called him for a questioning possibly as a victim http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/143335 ------ http://investigative.am/news/view/lev-marsed.html

The police conducts an internal audit in two branches and finds an embezzlement of AMD 109mln. A criminal case is launched against several employees. The AMD 80mln is recovered https://armenpress.am/arm/news/945503/

March 1st victim recalls how the police arrested him and few others on 2008, beat them all day, and forced them to testify that Nikol Pashinyan was distributing weapons to the protesters. Pashinyan was later arrested for rioting. http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/143174

Criminal case is launched against Lydian Armenia mining company for illegally mining several hectares land and causing AMD 18mln in damage https://armenpress.am/arm/news/945440/

Education Minister says he has information about the School 71 staff participating in election fraud. Reminds all directors not to use their positions to aid a political party. Encourages directors to more actively participate on board meetings and know their rights https://news.am/arm/news/468597.html

The PM Cabinet will allow a large industrial refrigerator company to do tax-free business for several years, after it agrees to invest AMD 5bln to create hundreds of jobs with average wages. The refrigerators will be used in the agricultural field to keep your tomatoes fresh, folks! https://news.am/arm/news/468530.html

... ARMOIL is also given a 3-year tax waiver after the environmental commission gives a green light. The company will process oil products. It is a joint business between Iranian-Armenian investors and Tsarukyan https://news.am/arm/news/468531.html

The government has approved the stricter law that makes various forms of election bribery a felony with increased punishment. Now up to Parliament to adopt it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJWhwwqMU0w --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh5dROdPkb8

$49mln will be invested in Hrazdan to create a free economic zone. Hundreds of new jobs to be created by several companies http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/143303

China has sent 200 ambulance vehicles with all the equipment and spare parts, as a gift to Armenia. Last week was the opening ceremony of the Chinese School in Armenia. Few weeks ago, Japan sent around 100 ambulance vehicles. The shortage issue in provinces will be solved https://armenpress.am/arm/news/945449/

Armenia removes visa requirement for Albanian tourists. They can freely visit for 180 days. Albania has done the same for Armenians on 2013. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/945460/

Azerbaijan has submitted a petition to add Armenian citizen and the poker player Dan Bilzerian on the INTERPOL wanted list for visiting the Forever Free and Certainly More Democratic Republic of Artsakh https://news.am/arm/news/468534.html

On August 23rd, United States placed an arrest warrant for an American-Turkish lobbyist businessman for submitting false documents to the US Congress. The businessman was required to disclose his income sources before paying for American politicians' business trips to Azerbaijan and Turkey, but he allegedly didn't report the fact that others, including Azeri oil company SoCar, were paying him to pay for those trips. He admits that Azerbaijan was buying gifts worth hundreds of thousands for the US politicians, and that some of them took it. Claims he is innocent and that he was only lobbying. It turns out, the businessman was in Armenia and even managed to successfully create and operate a business there. He has been arrested by the police at the request of US authorities, and may face an extradition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj3-wN41tlM

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/9bn8cn/anticorruption_aug302018_serj_sargsyan_is/