Armenian SRC initiated 622 criminal cases in 2020, which caused 21 billion dram worth damage

YEREVAN, January 29. /ARKA/. In 2020, Armenia's State Revenue Committee (SRC) initiated 622 criminal cases, which caused about 21 billion dram worth damage, Vahan Charkhifalakyan, head of SRC operative search and investigation department, said at a press conference on Friday.

In his words, 244 cases involved tax evasion, 62 cases - deliberate insolvency, 23 - illegal business activities, and 265 criminal cases involved drug and psychotropic drug smuggling.

“In 2020, as a result of investigations, 7 billion drams were recovered for the state budget, up from 6.1 billion in 2019,” Charkhifalakyan said.

He said also that in 2020 the number of initiated criminal cases grew by 255 from the previous year, including about 150 cases involving smuggling of narcotic and psychotropic drugs.

“The analysis suggests that the increase in the number of smuggling cases is prompted by the coronavirus quarantine which in turn resulted in a sharp increase in the number of postal parcels coming from abroad. Another factor is more efficient customs control. As for tax violations, they were revealed due to more efficient tax control,”Charkhifalakyan said.

“In 2020, we identified 33 most risky areas and lists of taxpayers - construction, subsoil use, wholesale and retail trade, as well as air passenger transportation and information technology," Charkhifalakyan said.

In 2020, in connection with military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh, the SRC refrained from using strict administrative tools, but control and operational explanatory work continued ($1 - 518.16 drams). –0--