Former Armenian Minister of Emergency Situations Andranik Piloyan, who was appointed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in 2020, has been found guilty of large-scale bribery, abuse of power, fraud, grand embezzlement, and conspiracy to commit embezzlement by Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court at the conclusion of his corruption trial on Tuesday, reports Armenpress.
Piloyan, a retired army general and recipient of Armenia’s highest state award, the title of National Hero, has been sentenced to 4 years and 5 months of imprisonment. The court also ordered him to pay a fine of 1.3 million drams (approximately $3,214 USD) and imposed a 3-year ban on him from holding certain public offices.
Piloyan was arrested on these charges in March 2022 while still serving as a minister in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s cabinet. He was released on bail six months later.
According to Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee, Piloyan received kickbacks in exchange for making decisions that benefited a private contractor. The law enforcement agency also stated that he was bribed by one of his subordinates.
Six other officials from the Ministry of Emergency Situations were also detained during the investigation. They were convicted alongside Piloyan on Tuesday. One of them, a close associate of Piloyan, was sentenced to 8 years in prison, while the others received suspended prison terms.
Piloyan is a retired army general who participated in the 2020 war with Azerbaijan. During the six-week hostilities, he led what Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described as a successful Armenian counteroffensive southwest of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). For his role, he was awarded the title of National Hero of Armenia. However, the award later proved highly controversial, as Azerbaijani forces continued their advance in that area in the following days.
Despite the controversy, Pashinyan appointed Piloyan as Minister of Emergency Situations in November 2020, less than two weeks after a Russian-brokered ceasefire ended the devastating war.
