Chairman of Armenia’s Investigative Committee, Artur Poghosyan, said during a meeting with leadership and investigators in Aragatsotn Province that pretrial detention should be used only as an extreme measure. He stressed that this measure must only be applied when all other alternatives fail to ensure proper procedural behavior by the accused.

Poghosyan instructed an intensification of efforts to recover state damages in criminal cases, noting that current efforts in this area are insufficient.

He also stressed the importance of assigning experienced investigators to mentor newly appointed staff.

During a tour of the local office, Poghosyan assessed working conditions for investigators. Karen Grigoryan, head of the Aragatsotn Investigative Department, presented an overview of work done in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.

In 2024, the department handled 2,628 criminal cases, 559 of which were carried over from 2023. Of these, 2,105 cases were resolved: 1,615 reached procedural conclusions — 645 cases involving 655 individuals were submitted to court with indictments, one concluded with a final act, and 969 were dismissed (807 rehabilitative, 162 non-rehabilitative). Additionally, 189 cases were consolidated, and 52 were transferred to other agencies.

On average, each investigator managed 162 cases in 2024.

There was a rise in productivity: resolved cases accounted for 61.5%. The case resolution rate increased by 3% to 80.1%, and court referrals grew by 5.7%.

The department registered 2,217 crime reports in 2024, leading to the initiation of 1,923 criminal cases.

Thirteen cases involving juvenile offenders were investigated — 3 were dropped, 5 consolidated, and 5 carried over to January 2025. Regarding crimes against minors, 31 cases were investigated: 3 sent to court, 9 dropped, 1 finalized through procedural termination, 2 transferred, 1 consolidated, and 15 deferred to January 2025.

Twelve corruption-related cases were reviewed: one partially referred to court, two dismissed on rehabilitative grounds, two closed due to unidentified perpetrators, one suspended due to the suspect’s unknown whereabouts, one transferred, and six deferred to the first half of 2025.

As of December 2, 2024, there were 116 cases under investigation for over a year. Between December 2024 and April 2025, 76 of these were resolved — 10 referred to court, 27 dismissed, and 39 deactivated.

In Q1 2025, 1,110 cases were investigated — 523 carried over from December, 110 reopened, and 477 newly registered. Of these, 405 were resolved: 269 reached procedural outcomes — 97 referred to court, 172 dismissed (152 rehabilitative, 20 non-rehabilitative), 93 deactivated, 32 consolidated, and 11 transferred. Investigations into 705 cases are ongoing.

Following the consultation, personnel changes were made within the Aragatsotn regional department.