Assets seized in environmental damage investigation

PanARMENIAN.Net - The criminal case involving 104 million drams in alleged damage to the state from illegal mining activities has been forwarded to the prosecutor. Armenia’s Investigative Committee announced that the pre-trial investigation has been completed in a case concerning a former company director accused of damaging land through mining operations conducted outside authorized extraction areas.

According to evidence obtained during the investigation, mining activities carried out beyond the permitted boundaries resulted in the removal of minerals and the improper disposal of topsoil. The excavated upper soil layer was allegedly mixed with overburden rock and deposited by the company on agricultural and forest lands.

As a result, 9,989 square meters of agricultural land and 5,534.41 square meters of forest land were degraded. Investigators concluded that the damage caused to the state amounted to 104,117,648 drams.

Public criminal prosecution was initiated against G.Sh. under Part 1 of Article 381 of Armenia’s Criminal Code (land degradation and damage), based on a decision by the supervising prosecutor.

The suspect is currently serving a prison sentence for a separate offense.

To secure compensation for the alleged damages, authorities imposed seizure orders on several real estate properties belonging to G.Sh., with an estimated market value of 95,646,725 drams.

The criminal case, together with the indictment, has been sent to the supervising prosecutor.