During the preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated by the RA Anti-Corruption Committee, it was established that the lawyer, a member of the RA Chamber of Advocates, upon learning of an unfavorable decision by the Financial Arbitration Court of the Union of Banks of Armenia, expressed his willingness to represent the lawyer and appeal it. The lawyer filed a petition with the competent court to overturn the decision and, upon learning that the case was being handled by a judicial official with whom he had a close relationship, approached the official with a request to rule in favor of an acquaintance. The acquaintance, promising to render a court ruling with the expected outcome, demanded a bribe of 3,000,000 drams in exchange. The lawyer communicated this to the aforementioned individual through a mutual acquaintance, who accepted the offer but agreed to pay 2,000,000 drams.
Subsequently, the lawyer, in an attempt to remove obstacles to a permanent judicial official accepting a bribe for an illegal act, received a bribe of 2,000,000 drams from the aforementioned official through his daughter in April 2025.
In an attempt to conceal his own and his accomplices’ criminal actions, the lawyer drew up a formal contract for “provision of legal services” with a later date and handed it over to the bribe-giver, thereby attempting to give the described criminal actions a legal appearance. Subsequently, the decision of the Financial Arbitration Court of the Union of Banks of Armenia was overturned by a decision of the permanent judicial official.
The lawyer was charged with assisting a judicial official in accepting a bribe under Article 46-435, Part 3, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. The person who gave the bribe was charged under Article 436, Part 2, Clause 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. The person who assisted in the bribery was charged under Article 46-435, Part 3, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. Arrest was imposed on the lawyer, which was later replaced by house arrest and bail.
The preliminary investigation of the criminal case has been completed, and the case materials have been sent to the Anti-Corruption Court of the Republic of Armenia along with the indictment.
Note: A person accused of committing a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia and a final court verdict.