Based on the combination of sufficient evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case examined by the RA Anti-Corruption Committee regarding the cases of illegal participation in business activities and non-payment of taxes, it was substantiated that the RA Police officials abused their official powers and limited the competition between the two European and Russian companies that supply the police with vehicle registration plates by anti-competitive activities, as a result of which the state suffered a loss of 67 163 790 AMD. At the same time, it was substantiated that the head of two commercial organizations operating in the Republic of Armenia, connected to the participant of the European company, did not pay particularly large amounts of taxes with the help of his brother.
In particular, during the preliminary investigation, it was found out that the deputy head of the police service of the RA RP, A.T., knowing that a Russian company wants to enter the RA market in order to supply the police with vehicle registration number, giving preference to the European company that had been supplying vehicle registration numbers to the RP service for more than 20 years, the latter with anti-competitive actions agreed with the Russian company and setting requirements not foreseen by the law against the Russian company, with anti-competitive actions coordinated with the latter and establishing requirements not provided for by law against the Russian company, performed purposeful actions aimed at preventing the Russian company from entering the RA market, thus ensuring the monopoly position of the European company in the RA market and contributing to maintaining the discriminatory prices set by the latter.
Bypassing the purchase legislation in RA, yet in 2018, A.T. actually included an innovation developed by a European company and corresponding to the latter's technical capabilities, a protective element "Defensive diagram not visible to the unarmed eye", with the aim of creating technical obstacles for the Russian company. Then, in order to create legal obstacles for the Russian company as well, within the framework of buying vehicle registration numbers in 2019, illegally added the mentioned protective element as a mandatory requirement in the technical specification of vehicle registration numbers. At the same time, during the purchase process, A.T. unjustifiably discredited the product to be supplied, and threatened the representatives of the Russian company that he would subject the supplied vehicle registration numbers to examination in the event that the vehicle registration numbers supplied by the European company for more than 20 years had never been subjected to examination or testing. Then, continuing the anti-competitive activities, the T.A. prepared a proposal to make changes to the national standard of vehicle registration numbers, which included the protective element developed by the European company, with the aim of creating additional legal and technical obstacles for the Russian company.
The Deputy Head of the Economic Department of the RA Police A.K., in his turn, being the chairman of the evaluation committee of vehicle registration numbers in 2019, based on his personal interest not to oppose the position of the management of the RP, not to spoil the official and personal relations with them, included in the purchase procedure the description of the object of purchase with a protective element drawn up by A.T. and the European company in gross violation of the requirements of the purchase legislation and illegally put into circulation by A.T., which distorted the essence of the purchase process and the principles provided by the law.
Besides, wanting to cover up the fact of including the illegal description of the subject of the purchase, which was presented to the purchase process by the Deputy Chief of the RP and mentioned by him, in violation of the requirements of the legislation regulating the purchase process by electronic auction, the purchase process that started on 26.12.2018 ended after the first quarter of 2019, after about three and a half months, as a result of which the RA police, having a real opportunity to purchase vehicle registration plates from a Russian company for AMD 3,342, purchased them from a European company for AMD 4,380 without legal grounds and process between January and May 5, 2019 , as a result of which the state suffered particularly large property damage of 67,163,790 AMD.
The preliminary investigation also established that A.V., the director of two companies providing accounting services operating in RA, affiliated to the aforementioned European company, with the help of his brother, had been implementing such a document circulation scheme since 2010-2011, which was aimed at not paying taxes for a long time, as a result of which the two companies did not pay particularly large amounts of profit tax and value added tax to the RA state budget, a total of 276,033,359 AMD (577,364,104 AMD with fines).
For the above-mentioned criminal acts, the former deputy head of the RP Service of the RA Police, A.T. was charged under Article 195, part 2, point 3 and Article 308, part 2 of the RA Criminal Code, former deputy head of the Economic Department of the RA Police A.K.- under Article 308, part 2 of the RA Criminal Code, and A.V.- under Article 205, part 2 and Article 325, part 2 of the RA Criminal Code. The investigation of the criminal case against them has been completed. The case materials have been provided to the parties to get acquainted with.
Notification. the person accused of a crime is considered innocent until his guilt is proven in accordance with the procedure established by the RA Criminal Procedure Code by a verdict entered into legal force.
