News - Armenia official on Brazil man’s death: If someone acted unprofessionally, he should definitely be held accountable

If someone acted unprofessionally, he should definitely be held accountable. This was stated by Rustam Badasyan, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) of Armenia, speaking with reporters Thursday, and referring to the Brazilian citizen who died on the way to the hospital from Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan. The SRC chief presented the details of this incident. According to him, the aforesaid person probably was transporting drugs, and therefore the risk system targeted him and took him for examination. "During the inspection, the bottles were taken out, and the person, presumably to dispel suspicions, decided that he could prove by drinking as well. Of course, this is not a normal procedure. I say again: if someone has performed his official duties unprofessionally, he should be held accountable. Everything is recorded. Naturally, not everything is visible in the video, but the process is mostly visible. There is a criminal proceeding. The Investigative Committee will clarify the circumstances. I cannot comment further," Badasyan said. According to the press, the SRC customs officers at Zvartnots had forced Brazilian citizen Araujo Lima Lucas, 30, to drink the contents of the aforesaid bottle instead of inspecting it, after which his health had deteriorated sharply and had died on the way to the hospital. "Just imagine, a customs officer forces a person to drink drugs. Imagine that shot. One customs officer opened his mouth, yes? A sad incident happened, you can't make jokes on this topic," Rustam Badasyan told reporters. A forensic chemical examination has been ordered to inspect the contents of the bottle to determine to what extent it has to do with the Brazilian man’s death.