Do weather conditions hamper the activities of the SIS
14:44, May 19, 2015 | News, Own newsOn September 10, 2014, Tigran Melikyan, consulted the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor to protect his rights. He said that since 2010, he had worked as an inspector at the State Inspectorate Lori Territorial Department, Staff of the RA Ministry of the Environmental Protection. In his application, T. Melikyan described the violations and abuse of power by a number of officials during the period of his work there. The illegal actions mostly concerned the illegal tree felling committed, according to the applicant, under the patronage of Artur Harutyunyan, Chief of Tumanyan Police Department and Anubakh Hambaryan, Chief of the Lori Marz (Region) Police Department. According to the applicant, in the period above, Anubakh Hambaryan was the Chief of the Lori Marz (Region) Police Department and controlled all the illegal traffic of wood. The applicant also mentioned that all the foresters in the Lori marz passed monthly payments to Anubakh Hambaryan with the help of their directors. According to the application, in the terms above, the forester of the ‘Dsegh’ forestry owned various vehicles, namely tractors, KAMAZ trucks, Gas and Zil vehicles and every day in the period of May-December loaded 30 other trucks along with his own vehicles. He took daily fares from each vehicle. Also, he delivered construction wood made from the illegally cut trees to almost 30 chair and saw workshops in Dsegh village. According to the applicant who consulted the Organization, the forester shared his profits with Artur Harutyunyan, Chief of Tumanyan Police Department and Anubakh Hambaryan, Chief of the Lori Marz (Region) Police Department. If we estimate the amount of such funds, police appears to have gained daily profits of an average of 2 million AMD only from wood transportation and 200 and 800 thousand AMD from the chair and saw workshops, respectively. Based on the data provided by Tigran Melikyan, on September 15, 2014, the HCA Vanadzor filed a report to the RA Prosecutor General and the RA Special Investigation Service (SIS) to initiate criminal proceedings. On September 29, 2014, the RA SIS decreed to initiate criminal proceedings and conduct preliminary investigation into the case of bribery for explicitly illegal inaction towards the bribe-giver upon prior agreement among the officials within their scope of authority. On April 30, 2015, the HCA Vanadzor, in its capacity of a person who reported a criminal case and had no information in the progress of the preliminary investigation, filed an inquiry to the SIS, particularly about the stage of the criminal proceedings, the investigative activities performed, persons questioned and whether any defendants or suspects were involved in the case. On May 5, 2015, the SIS responded to the inquiry of the Organization and informed it that the criminal proceedings were in progress, many investigative actions were conducted and many persons were questioned. Accordingly, the SIS also prescribed an inspection of the activities by ‘Dsegh Forestry’ branch of the ‘Hayantar’ SNCO; however, it was postponed due to the adverse weather conditions, and the inspection protocol had not been received yet. Hence, the weather conditions in the period of September 15, 2014 – May 5, 2015 negatively affected the investigative activities. In its response, the SIS also mentioned that no persons were involved in the criminal case as suspects or defendants.