The ex-president of the State Service of the Social Security V. Khachikyan arrested

The ex-president of the State Service of the Social Security of the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues of the Republic of Armenia Vazgen Khachikyan was arrested on 28.09.2012 on the case investigated in the Investigation Division of Especially Important Cases of the General Investigation Division of the Police of the Republic of Armenia on the abuses found in the process of fixing and paying pensions.

On the same day he was accused according to the Points 1and 2 of the Part 3 of the Article 179, the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 178, the Article 314 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia for committing squandering of particularly significant amount by an organized group, swindling of particularly significant amount by fraud and official forgery. A mediation will be represented to the court for using imprisonment as pretrial measures against him.

Today the ex-president of Payment Service of the State Service of Social Security of the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues of the Republic of Armenia Hovhannes Grigoryan and the head of the Department of Pension Security and Separate Programs of the same service Ashot Abrahamyan were also arrested. They are suspected in committing a crime defined by the Points 1 and 2 of the Part 3 of the Article 179, the Article 314 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia.

The preliminary investigation is going on in the Investigation Division of Especially Important Cases of the General Investigation Division of the Police of the Republic of Armenia. Up to 28 September, 2012 29 people were accused.

Let us remind that in 2011 on the base of the materials received from the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Armenia a criminal case was initiated on the abuse found in the process of fixing and paying pensions in the Division of State Interests Protection of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Armenia according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 179(Squandering), the Part 2 of the Article 308(Abuse of official authority) and the Part 1 of the Article 314( Committing official forgery), the preliminary investigation of which was tasked to the General Investigation Division of the Police.

Up to 28.09.2012 3 criminal cases of 12 people were separated from the criminal case and sent to court on which sentences were passed.

Note; Everyone charged with a crime offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.