Armenian generals face negligence charges over $11.5 million state losses

Former Chief of the General Staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces, Colonel-General Movses Hakobyan, and former Head of the Missile and Artillery Directorate, Major-General Armen Harutyunyan, have been charged with official negligence.

According to Armenian media reports cited by Caliber.Az, Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office is seeking to recover approximately 4.5 billion drams ($11.5 million) from Hakobyan and Harutyunyan as compensation for damages allegedly caused to the state. A lawsuit was filed with the Anti-Corruption Civil Court on March 17, 2025, and was assigned to Judge Lilit Drmeyan on the same day.

The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed to media outlets that on March 14, 2025, the Military Central Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit in the Anti-Corruption Court against Movses Hakobyan and Armen Harutyunyan. The lawsuit, under joint liability, demands the recovery of 4,370,985,000 drams in favor of the Republic of Armenia as compensation for damages allegedly caused by their misconduct.

However, the prosecutor’s office declined to specify the exact criminal case that led to the compensation claim, citing the confidentiality of the preliminary investigation. Movses Hakobyan stated that he was unaware of the lawsuit and only learned about it through the media.

Meanwhile, the preliminary investigation has concluded, and the case was recently transferred to the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, where it has been assigned to Judge Masis Melkonyan.

According to the indictment, Armen Samsonovich Harutyunyan, who had served as the Head of the Missile and Artillery Directorate since May 2017, allegedly violated the Armenian Law on the "Approval of the Internal Service Regulations of the Armed Forces." The prosecution claims that due to negligence and an irresponsible approach to his official duties, Harutyunyan failed to properly fulfill his obligations, leading to severe consequences through carelessness.

Movses Hakobyan also faces negligence charges. According to the indictment, between 2015 and 2016, while serving as Deputy Minister of Defense and Head of the Logistics Department, he allegedly failed to properly execute his duties due to negligence. This purportedly resulted in severe consequences, including significant financial losses to the state.

As a preventive measure, both Harutyunyan and Hakobyan have been placed under travel restrictions. Additionally, a bail of approximately $26,000 has been imposed on Hakobyan. According to records in the DataLex system, the compensation lawsuit is directly linked to this case.

By Tamilla Hasanova