U.S. arrests visa official over bribes in Armenia
The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 7 2005
Piotr Parlej, former Consular Associate of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan,
was arrested in California on Thursday, February 3, and charged with
bribery and visa fraud during his work in Armenia. The indictment
charges that from on or before April 2004, through on or about January
13, 2005, in Yerevan, Parlej and accomplices engaged in a conspiracy to
commit bribery and visa fraud, and to obstruct and impede – “by craft,
trickery, deceit, and dishonest means” – the United States Department
of State in “its lawful function of reviewing and controlling the
issuance to qualified foreign nationals of visas authorizing their
entry into the United States.” The U.S. Embassy in Armenia, stated
that it wished “to thank the Armenian authorities for their cooperation
in this investigation and in particular would like to commend the
National Security Service of Armenia for their invaluable assistance.”