During November-December, 2023, the Prosecutor signed the indictments regarding the officials who had taken a bribe for allowing the exit of the loaded trucks through the weighting base stations for heavy transport vehicles, placed in Syunik region, those aiding them and the drivers, who had given a bribe, and submitted to the Anti-corruption Courts along with the proceeding files. 

The following was found under the criminal proceedings examined in the Anti-corruption Court:

During January-February, 2023, the Expert of the Territorial Division of Syunik region of the Urban Planning, Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Body, with the support of N.M., received bribes from 5 individuals for not recording an administrative offense. In particular, the expert, being on shift at the heavy transport vehicle weighing base, located at the crossroad of one of the villages of Sisian community, received petty bribes from 5 drivers transporting heavy loads or loads on axles by the RA roads od state importance, exceeding the maximum permissible mass and allowed them to exit through the checkpoint.

On February 23, 2023, another employee of the Urban Planning, Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Body was on the shift of the heavy transport vehicle weighing base, located at the crossroad of one of the villages of Sisian community with a Chief Specialist of the aforementioned inspection body. On the same day, he weighed vehicle driven by the citizen K.M. and found that its second axle load was 11,930 kg (the permissible weight of the load on the axle was 430 kilograms more). In exchange for not recording an administrative offense, he demanded two packs of cigarettes from the driver. The driver agreed. On March 15 of the same year, under the pretext of receiving a bribe, he demanded from a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran traveling from Meghri to Yerevan, to bring 5 cans of diesel fuel, cigarettes and 2 kilograms of sunflower seeds during the next visit to Armenia. Weighing the vehicle driven by the aforementioned driver, he found that its total mass is 2,150 kilograms more than the permissible 40,000 kilograms, informed the driver about this and assured that this fact would not be recorded by him. Meanwhile, the fact was recorded by his colleague, a protocol was drawn up on an offense.

A police officer of the Sisian police department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, having the responsibility of preventing and disrupting administrative offenses, being involved in the registration of the heavy transport vehicle weighing base station, located at the crossroad of the same village, on February 20, 2023, allowed the drivers of three overloaded transport vehicles to move to Yerevan without entering the weighing station. A few days later, he received a petty bribe from one of the drivers.

On January 20, 2023, one of the traffic police officers, being involved in the round-the-clock service in the area of the above-mentioned base station, having learned that one of the overloaded trucks was traveling from Kapan in the direction of Yerevan, in order not weighing the heavy transport vehicle and not to reveal an administrative offense, received from the driver a petty bribe and allow the latter to move in the direction of Yerevan without entering the weighing base station.

The prosecutor initiated public criminal prosecution against 12 persons for accepting bribes, giving bribes, as well as for abusing their official powers or the influence caused by them, or for aiding the transfer of powers.

Notice:  A person charged with any crime shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty in the manner prescribed by the RA Criminal Procedure Code—by the judgment came into legal force.