A new criminal case has been opened in Armenia on the fact that a Defense Ministry employee hindered the work of a lawyer representing the interests of the Russian arms company ORSIS in Armenia, RIA Novosti reported referring to a source.

 ORSIS has been earlier blacklisted as Armenia's arms supplier immediately after the failure of the Armenian Defense Ministry to tender several million dollars worth of military equipment in which this company participated. Later, Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade asked the head of the Armenian military department Davit Tonoyan to understand this situation, noting the decision to ORSIS is unmotivated. It brought the first criminal case under the article neglect of service. Later, a lawyer representing ORSIS in Armenia reported that the company was excluded from the black list.

As an informed source told RIA Novosti, a new criminal case was instituted by the Special Investigation Service (CCC) of Armenia on the fact of a high-ranking representative of the Defense Ministry giving a valuable gift and on the fact that an official of the same Ministry interfered with the activities of a lawyer representing ORSIS in the country.

According to the source, the grounds for initiating a new criminal case were received by the SIS materials, according to which after the first criminal case was opened in the main military investigation department of the Armenian Investigative Committee in connection with the failed tender, the assistant to one of the deputy defense ministers of Armenia tried to persuade the ORSIS lawyer to refuse from complaints filed with law enforcement.

At the beginning of 2019, as a sign of strengthening cooperation, the Armenian 'daughter' of the Russian company - ORSIS Arms - presented the Armenian Defense Ministry with a gun, which, however, was not transferred to the balance of the military department, but was assigned and registered in the name of the Deputy Minister of Defense, a source said .

Spokeswoman for the Special Investigation Service (CCC) of Armenia, Marina Ohanjanyan, confirmed to RIA Novosti the fact of initiating a new case according to the ORSIS statement, without specifying details.

Now both cases are combined into a single production, Ohanjanyan said.