RESULTS OF WORK IN FIRST HALF OF 2008 SUMMARIZED AT PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE

Noyan Tapan

Au g 6, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of crimes recorded in the
first half of 2008 declined by 376 or 8.6% on the same period of 2007
(4,374-3,998), while crimes against individuals grew by 64 or 14.7%
(434-498). This was stated at the August 6 sitting of the Collegium of
the RA Prosecutor General’s Office, during which the results of the
work of the Prosector General’s Office and the situation on crimes
in the first half of 2008 were summarized.

There was an increase in such crimes as murder (37-40), causing harm
to health intentionally (225-247), including causing grievous harm to
health (85-111), crimes against sexual immunity (16-19), including
rape and attempted rape (5-9). Only the number of attempted murders
declined (18-11).

By statistical data, the detection of general crimes against
individuals fell from 87.7% to 84.3%. The detection of attempted
murders and the deliberate causing of bodily injuries, including
a grievous injury, fell, while the index of detection of murders
increased somewhat.

It was mentioned at the sitting that in the period under review,
the vicious practice of not registering crimes by some policemen
continued. In particular, studies showed that 2 murders and 2 attempted
murders committed in Tavush marz by inter-national strife-related
motives were not recorded in the Information Center of the RA
Police. Criminal cases on 428 cases when light or medium-severity
harm was done to health were not recorded either.

In the words of the RA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepian, the
decline in hoologanism cases is of artificial nature: such cases were
qualified as bodily injuries so that it would be easy to refuse to
open a criminal case as this type of crime is investigated based on
a private complaint of the victim.

267 crimes were committed either by minors or with their participation
(214 minors) in the first half of 2008, including 180 thefts by 235
minors, 13 robberies, and 11 robber attacks. A. Hovsepian expressed
a negative opinion about the work done with minors, saying that this
work should be continuous rather than occasional. "There has been a
rise in crimes committed by minors, especially by groups of minors,
mainly cases of theft," he said.

All the structural subdivisions of the prosecutor’s office conducted
204 checks in the first half of 2008, as a result of which 287 offences
were revealed, 81 persons were warned to voluntarily compensate
for damage done to state interests, and 505,355,014 drams was paid
as compensation. The Department for Protection of State Interests
opened 10 criminal cases, by which the total damage to the state
made 77,877,006 thousand drams, 8,443.6 thousand drams was paid as
compensation during the pre-court procedure – 9 criminal cases were
opened in the same period of 2007, while the damage to the state made
6.3 million drams.

In the first half of 2008, Armenian investigation bodies took 130
criminal cases for investigation, 29 of which were investigated by the
RA Special Investigation Service, 3 – by the Investigation Department
of the RA National Security Service, 16 – by the Main Investigation
Department of the RA police, 10 – by the Investigation Department
of the Defence Ministry. No corruption-related criminal cases were
investigated by a tax and customs investigation department. The
RA Prosecutor General expressed his concern that the RA Cassation
Court continues its practice: complaints are often returned without
explanation. "Such work of the Cassation Court involves a considerable
corruption risk," the Prosecutor General said.