Former Minister of Emergency Situations Andranik Piloyan has been sentenced to 5 years in prison
On December 10, the Anti-Corruption Court announced the verdict sentencing former Minister of Emergency Situations and Armenia’s “National Hero,” Andranik Piloyan, to 5 years in prison. He will serve 4.5 years in custody, as he has already spent 6 months in detention.
Piloyan was accused of receiving large bribes from a group of officials, committing fraud in collusion with others, and abusing his official position. According to published data, he accepted bribes from various individuals in exchange for appointing them to certain positions. In one case, Andranik Piloyan received a heating system as a bribe, while in others, he accepted money. In addition to imprisonment, he was fined 1.3 million AMD and barred from holding public service positions for 3 years.
Within the same verdict, Vigen Grigoryan was also found guilty (8 years of imprisonment), as well as the Head of the Rescue Service’s Rear and Logistics Support Department, Vigen Mkrtchyan (2 years of imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 AMD), Hrachya Yeremyan (a fine of 500,000 AMD), Ashot Hakobyan (a fine of 1 million AMD), and Artak Berbutyan (1 year of imprisonment, conditionally suspended). Ara Yaghjyan was acquitted.
Andranik Piloyan was arrested on March 30. During the 2020 war, he participated in military operations on the southern front of Artsakh. On October 22, Pashinyan awarded Andranik Piloyan the title of “National Hero of Armenia.”