YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS. Amid an ongoing criminal investigation into involving alleged abuse and corruption in the North-South Road Corridor construction project, authorities said they’ve revealed new types of fraud committed in the process.

The Prosecutor General’s office said in a news release on May 27 that the probe has uncovered numerous fraudulent and fake transactions, falsification of documents, tax evasion and embezzlement.

Particularly, two contracts were signed in June of 2016 between two consulting companies on rendering “obviously unnecessary” consultations as part of the M1 Talin-Gyumri section, authorities said. And from 2016 to 2018 tax bills worth 1,2 billion drams were filed at the name of one of these companies.

The investigation revealed that the contracts were signed in order to reduce tax obligations, for which fraudulent transactions were filed, and a fake entrepreneurship was carried out. No consulting works were rendered whatsoever.

Staff of the consulting company cashed out 600 million drams from their bank accounts and gave it to the executive of the company, and the money was formalized under fake documentation.

This particular instance caused more than 1,1 billion damages in unpaid taxes, authorities said.

The investigation continues.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan