The Department of State Interests Protection of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office has studied the procedure of collecting the taxes for vehicle and garbage disposal by the Common Council of Stepanavan of Lori Region during 2016-2020 based on the documents sent from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the RA.

 

In the result it turned out that data have been obtained by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia in 2021 that the total actual taxes collected for vehicle by the Common Council of Stepanavan of Lori Region in 2018-2020 was about 123.4 million AMD. Meanwhile, about 114 million AMD was paid to the community budget or 9.4 million AMD less.

 

Besides, the total amount of garbage disposal fees in the community in 2016-2020 was 133 million AMD, but 120.4 million AMD was paid to the community budget or about 12.7 million AMD less.

 

In fact, the competent officials of Stepanavan community, collecting a total of about 256.5 million AMD of vehicle tax and garbage disposal fees from the community in 2016-2020 paid only about 234.4 million AMD to the community budget, that is to say, particularly large amount of more than 22 million AMD was embezzled.

 

Taking into account that in the course of exercising prosecutorial power, data on embezzlement of property of particularly large amount, abusing office was revealed, it is necessary to find out the full circumstances of the incident through a full, objective and comprehensive investigation, thus a criminal case has been initiated at the Department of State Interests Protection of the RA General Prosecutor’s Office according to Article 179, Part 3, Point 1 of the RA Criminal Code.

 

The criminal case was sent to the RA Investigative Committee with an assignment to conduct a preliminary investigation.

 

Notice: Every person suspected in or charged with a criminal offense shall be presumed innocent unless proved guilty in the manner prescribed by the RA Criminal Procedure Code and unless the verdict comes into legal force.