The measures aimed at preventing the coronavirus pandemic, criminal manifestations in the country have become very urgent.

 

Due to the operative and investigative measures undertaken by the RA Police and especially the RA NSS, since April 2021, numerous cases of official abuse, official falsifications and bribery have been revealed by dozens of employees of a number of medical institutions in the process of preventing the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.  

 

In particular, a number of officials who had organizational and managerial, administrative functions in the medical institutions and other state bodies, being authorized to organize the process of vaccination against Covid-19 pandemic, in cooperation with other representatives of the medical staff, hundreds of citizens were not vaccinated with the prescribed drugs and doses, but have issued false certificates confirming that they have been vaccinated with the first or two doses of the coronavirus vaccine later entered them into the unified electronic health information system "ARMED".  

 

In some cases it was found out that corruption abuses were conditioned by providing negative result of PCR analyses for the citizens, including people visiting the Republic of Armenia. In particular, some doctor-epidemiologists, people having special functions in the medical institutions have prepared and given negative tests for people arrived in the RA, so those people were able to move from place to place.

 

So, according to factual data received, the officials having appropriate authorities have received from 5.000-40.000 AMD bribe for their illegal commitments.

 

20 criminal cases were initiated in the RA NSS and Police on the above-mentioned crimes, which were related with the medical institutions, in general with policlinics.

 

Over 310 citizens have received fake vaccination certificates and negative results which were illegally registered in the system “ARMED”.

 

Dozens of searches were conducted related with the criminal cases, money given by the citizens as a bribe was found and confiscated, lists of people who were not vaccinated actually, were also found. Many medical officials gave confessional testimonies.

 

In general, 15 people were charged, 9 of them were detained.

 

The criminal cases are in the phase of preliminary investigation. The prosecutor’s office has initiated investigative, procedural, operative measures in order to found out the whole scope of the people involved in it to provide legal assessments to the actions separately.

 

The RA Prosecutor's Office warns that such abuses seriously puts under risk the health security of the republic, hinder the effectiveness of the anti-pandemic measures taken by the state to protect the population.

 

To this end we urge both citizens and health care personal and public servants involved in preventing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, to refrain from such irresponsible actions that endanger both their own health and the public health. The approach of the RA Prosecutor's Office in such situations will be unconditionally strict, all necessary legal measures will be undertaken to bring to liability all those who have committed such crimes.