Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan was escorted out of the municipality building by a large number of special forces, APA reports, citing Armenian media.
Ghukasyan was taken to an unknown location.
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12:03
8 people accused of receiving and giving large amounts of bribes by officials of the Gyumri Municipality have been arrested, APA reports, citing the Armenian Anti-Corruption Committee.
The report states that as a result of a large-scale operation and secret investigation measures conducted by the Operational-Investigation Department of the Armenian Anti-Corruption Committee, facts were revealed that the head of the Gyumri Municipality and the chief architect had previously demanded and received bribes in collusion.
Within the framework of the initiated criminal case, decisions were made to bring eight people, including the mayor, to criminal liability and arrest them.
In addition, during the investigation, it was revealed that members of the criminal group, in order to protect the secrecy of corruption operations and ensure their continuity, exerted pressure on undesirable members of the Gyumri Municipality, collected compromising material related to them, and tried to control them through blackmail.
It was also established that the mayor, abusing his official position, initiated the falsification of documents for the privatization of a land plot that was on the municipality's balance sheet but was used personally, as well as the legalization of an unauthorized building belonging to a close relative.
Later, evidence obtained showed that the chief architect received bribes from citizens in six other cases in exchange for illegal actions.
Large-scale operational and investigative measures are continuing in the criminal case. The goal is to reveal the full structure and mechanism of the corruption scheme, as well as to identify all participants in the criminal network.
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10:58
Anti-Corruption Committee agents raided Gyumri City Hall on Monday morning in what the law enforcement agency described as “investigative actions” carried out within the framework of an ongoing criminal case, APA reports, citing ARMENPRESS.
According to local media reports, Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan has been arrested.
The Anti-Corruption Committee neither confirmed nor denied the arrest but said it would provide additional information later.
“As part of a criminal investigation being conducted by the Anti-Corruption Committee, investigative actions are underway at Gyumri City Hall. Additional details will be provided later,” the law enforcement agency told Armenpress.
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