A group of servicemen of a military base are suspected in stealing approximately 85 tons of aviation fuel intended for planned training flights, the National Security Service (NSS) said.

The suspects have stolen and sold from 2019 July to December the 40 million dram worth of fuel to buyers whose identities were not disclosed.

The NSS said their operatives gathered intelligence and caught the suspects red-handed during a sting operation when the servicemen were trying to sell another batch.  The suspects have confessed in committing the crime, the NSS said.

A criminal case was opened and forwarded to the Investigations Committee for a probe.

The government watchdog found that the money was withheld “for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act.”

By Dareh Gregorian

The Trump administration violated the law by withholding military aid to Ukraine, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a decision released Thursday.

“In the summer of 2019, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) withheld from obligation funds appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) for security assistance to Ukraine,” the government watchdog’s ruling said.

“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law. OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA). The withholding was not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA.”

The ruling was released hours before senators were set to be sworn in for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. The House impeached the president for abuse of power, alleging that the president withheld the Ukraine aid for personal and political gain, as well as for obstructing the congressional probe into the hold.

Newly appointed Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visisted Armenia in October 2019.

Mikhail Mishustin, who was heading the Federal Tax Service of Russia, joined the 23rd World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2019) as a keynote speaker. Mr. Mishustin discussed the digital transformation of the economy and society and how these changes impact tax administration.

Russian official accompanied by Ayb School donor Artur Janibekyan and a number of guests visited Ayb School in Yerevan.

Ayb has already congratulated Mishustin on his appointment in a Facebook post.

Russian State Duma gave its consent to the president to appoint Mikhail Mishustin as Russian Prime Minister, RIA Novosti reported.

A total of 383 MPs voted for the candidacy of Mikhail Mishustin of Russia, and 41 abstained.

Yesterday, Dmitry Medvedev announced to President Vladimir Putin government’s resignation. 

Five men, all associated with the front company “Business World” in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and including Muhammad Kamran Wali (Kamran), 41, of Pakistan; Muhammad Ahsan Wali (Ahsan), 48, and Haji Wali Muhammad Sheikh (Haji), 82, both of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Ashraf Khan Muhammad (Khan) of Hong Kong; and Ahmed Waheed (Waheed), 52, of Ilford, Essex, United Kingdom, were indicted in federal court for conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Control Reform Act.The grand jury returned the indictment on Oct. 16, 2019, and it was unsealed today.

“The defendants smuggled U.S. origin goods to entities that have been designated for years as threats to U.S. national security for their ties to Pakistan’s weapons programs,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “This indictment puts the world on notice not to do business with these defendants and demonstrates our commitment to holding them accountable. It also stands as an example of the kind of deceptive behavior U.S. businesses need to watch out for in designing appropriate export control and sanctions compliance programs.”

“Federal export control laws are vital tools that help prevent items from being exported overseas where they could be used in ways that can jeopardize our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray for the District of New Hampshire.  “In order to protect the safety and security of the American people, we work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify those who violate these important laws.  We will continue to be vigilant in our efforts to identify individuals whose actions may jeopardize the national security of the United States.”

“The alleged behavior of these five individuals presented more than a violation of U.S. export laws, it posed a potential threat to the national security interests of the United States and to the delicate balance of power among nations within the region,” said Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations. “HSI’s Counterproliferation group proactively works investigations into U.S. import-export licensing laws violations because of the threat it can pose to our national security.”

“The indictments unsealed today are a result of the ongoing coordination and collaborative counter proliferation efforts by the Office of Export Enforcement, the Justice Department, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Homeland Security Investigations,”said Special Agent in Charge William Higgins of the Office of Export Enforcement. “The Boston Field Office of the Office of Export Enforcement will continue to vigorously pursue violators with all its partners to stem illicit trade that threatens U.S. national security and undermines U.S. foreign policy.”

“Stopping the illegal exportation of sensitive defense technology is a top priority for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and today’s indictment is the result of a multi-agency effort,” stated Special Agent in Charge Leigh-Alistair Barzey, DCIS Northeast Field Office.  “The DCIS is committed to working with the USAO-NH, Homeland Security Investigations and the Office of Export Enforcement, to protect our nation’s security by identifying, investigating and prosecuting criminal procurement networks.”

According to the indictment, between September 2014 and October 2019, the defendants operated an international procurement network of front companies that existed to acquire U.S.-origin goods for the Advanced Engineering Research Organization (AERO) and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), and to cause those goods to be exported from the United States to the entities without export licenses in violation of federals law. Both AERO and PAEC were on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, which imposes export license requirements for organizations whose activities are found to be contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.  PAEC was added to the Entity List in 1998.  AERO was added to the Entity List in 2014, after the U.S. Government found that it had used intermediaries and front companies to procure items for use in Pakistan’s cruise missile and strategic UAV programs.

According to the indictment, the defendants attempted to conceal the true destinations in Pakistan of the U.S.-origin goods by using the conspirators’ network of front companies as the supposed purchasers and end users of the goods and as the apparent source of payments for the goods, even though the goods were ultimately received in Pakistan and paid for by AERO or PAEC.  The defendants caused the U.S. companies to file export documents that falsely identified the Ultimate Consignees of the shipments as entities other than AERO and PAEC. The defendants never applied for or obtained an export license from the Department of Commerce authorizing the export of goods to AERO or PAEC in Pakistan.

The indictment identified 38 separate exports from the U.S. that the defendants caused, involving 29 different companies from around the country. Three of those companies are in New Hampshire.  None of the U.S. companies is alleged to have been complicit in the illegal exports.  Each defendant is charged with two felony counts of conspiracy.  Although arrest warrants are pending, none of the five defendants has thus far been apprehended. 

This matter was investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement; the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Davis and Trial Attorney Nicholas Hunter of DOJ’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, National Security Division.

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations.  A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/five-men-indicted-operating-international-procurement-network-export-us-origin-goods-pakistan

Joe Snell,

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., urged an insider trading investigation into President Donald Trump for reportedly telling Mar-a-Lago guests about the Soleimani strike in advance, according to a joint letter sent to the chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Monday.

The request comes after a report in The Daily Beast that Trump told guests at his resort up to five days before the Jan. 3 strike against Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, to expect a “big” response to Iran that they would be hearing or reading about “soon.”

Why it matters: Van Hollen, the ranking member of the Senate subcommittee that oversees securities, and presidential contender Warren said that, if true, the report “raises a number of troubling national security questions,” including the president’s mishandling of sensitive national security information and his providing “market-moving” material of trade defense industry stocks and commodities.

Mar-a-Lago includes nearly 500 paying members, according to the request, including dozens of real estate developers, Wall Street financiers, energy executives and others whose “businesses could be affected by Mr. Trump’s policies.” The letter highlighted stock prices of Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon increasing between the days before and immediately after the attack.

What’s next: The senators asked the agencies to provide a briefing on the request no later than Feb. 13. The request comes amid an ongoing impeachment trial against the president and criticism of what intelligence information led to his decision to kill the Iranian general.

Know more: Read Congressional Correspondent Bryant Harris’ report on anti-war groups gaining new traction with Democratic leaders following the strike on Soleimani.

Joe Snell is a Texas-based freelance journalist and member of the Overseas Press Club of America. He covers stories of underreported and marginalized communities. On Twitter: @joesnell03

YEREVAN. – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was summoned for questioning over the wiretaps. The Investigative Committee of Armenia press service informed this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The Investigative Committee examines the illegal wiretapping of the telephone conversations between Prime Minister Pashinyan and former Director of the National Security Service (NSS) Artur Vanetsyan, as well as of the telephone conversations between Special Investigation Service (SIS) chief Sasun Khachatryan and former Director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan, and which were posted on the internet on September 11 and December 5, 2018, the criminal case initiated in connection with abuse of power by these official during these conversations, during which motions for the arrests of ex-President Robert Kocharyan and former CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov were discussed.

In this criminal case, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to the Investigative Committee as a witness and was interviewed to determine possible interference with the courts.