Economic crime cases in Armenia include fraud, misappropriation and embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion. They are built on documents: contracts, bank statements, accounting records and correspondence. A fraud lawyer must know each document in detail and find what the prosecution reads differently. Advocate Mnatsakan Marukyan is a criminal defense lawyer in Yerevan. He defends people in these cases from the first questioning to the Court of Cassation.
Who investigates economic crimes
Depending on the case, the investigation is done by the Investigative Committee, the Anti-Corruption Committee (when officials or public funds are involved) or the State Revenue Committee (tax and customs crimes). The prosecutor supervises the investigation. Corruption cases go to the Anti-Corruption Court.
If you are called for questioning
- Find out your status: witness, suspect or accused. Each status has different rights.
- Talk to a lawyer before you go.
- Collect the contracts, payment records and correspondence on the matter for your lawyer.
- Do not give amounts and dates from memory. A wrong figure in a protocol is hard to correct later.
- Do not agree with other participants on what each of you will say. This can be seen as pressure on witnesses and become a ground for detention.
More on this: how to prepare for questioning.
What a fraud lawyer does in your case
Civil dispute or fraud
An unpaid debt or a failed deal is not fraud by itself. For fraud, the prosecution must prove that the person intended to deceive at the moment he received the money or property. The defense shows the real business: contracts, partial payments, work done and the reasons for the delay.
Documents and expert accounting examination
The amount of damage often comes from an expert accounting examination. The defense checks which source documents the expert used, which period was examined and which method was applied. It puts its own questions to the expert and can ask for an additional or repeat examination. The defense can also present the opinion of a specialist it engages. The amount of damage often decides the qualification of the act and the punishment.
Money laundering and tax crimes
A money laundering charge requires proof that the money came from a crime and that the person knew this. Tax cases rest on an audit and a calculation of the tax due. The defense checks whether the calculation of the State Revenue Committee matches the Tax Code and the actual transactions.
Compensation of damage
Voluntary compensation of damage is a mitigating circumstance. For some offenses, the law allows release from criminal liability after full compensation. Advocate Marukyan checks whether these rules apply and plans any payment together with the defense position.
Arrest of property and detention
In economic cases, bank accounts and property are often arrested. This secures a possible civil claim or confiscation. The defense can challenge an arrest that exceeds the alleged damage or covers the property of other persons. On the measure of restraint, the court can choose bail or another non-custodial measure instead of detention. More on this: pretrial detention.
How advocate Marukyan helps in a fraud case
- He goes with the client to questioning and takes part in investigative actions.
- He studies the contracts, the reports and the bank data.
- He puts questions to the expert and asks for new examinations.
- He challenges the arrest of property and detention.
- He defends the client at trial and, when necessary, in an appeal to the higher courts up to the Court of Cassation.
Advocate Marukyan works in Armenian, Russian and English. The first consultation is free. The office is at Athens street 3/3, Yerevan. Call +374 91 403961, or write on WhatsApp or Telegram. Advocate Marukyan is available 24/7 for arrests and searches.