A criminal case looking into charges that a former mayor of the village of Shnogh ripped off taxpayers has languished in the investigations unit of the Alaverdi Police Department for the past six months.

Hetq broke the story back in December in an article entitled “Taxpayer Rip-Off: Former Shnogh Mayor Was a Shrewd Wheeler-Dealer”.

Hetq revealed that former Shnogh Village Mayor Haykaz Kochinyan was paying 1.2 million AMD ($3,000) every year from 2007 to 2011 out of the community budget in gas expenses for a car that didn’t run and that was parked in the mayor’s outside garage for the years in question.

According to unit head Edward Karapetyan, the case is still in the preliminary stage and that Kochinyan has yet to be charged with any crimes.

Karapetyan refused to offer any details on the case given its ongoing nature.

The current Mayor of Shnogh Hovik Sahakyan told Hetq that no on-site investigation into the matter has taken place in the village and that the municipality hasn’t been recognized as a “injured” party.

Mayor Sahakyan says that it’s amazing that the police haven’t charged Kochinyan even though they have confiscated a number of pertinent documents relating to the matter.