Mayor of Gyumri has been arrested for two months
21.10.2025,
11:02
Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan has been arrested for two months by decision of the Armenian Anti-Corruption Court.
YEREVAN, October 21. /ARKA/. Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan has been arrested for two months by decision of the Armenian Anti-Corruption Court.
On October 20, the Armenian Anti-Corruption Committee opened a criminal case against eight Gyumri administration officials, including Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, on charges of giving and receiving bribes on an especially large scale. Investigators claim to have evidence of bribery demanded by the mayor and chief architect of Gyumri; the case includes an audio recording, presumably of a conversation between the defendants.
A large number of law enforcement officers, including "Red Berets," were deployed to the Gyumri City Hall on the morning of October 20 to detain Ghukasyan. For several hours, local residents and city hall staff attempted to impede the security forces, and several minor scuffles broke out in the crowd. Police managed to disperse the crowd and escort Ghukasyan out of the building, after which he was transported to the capital's Anti-Corruption Committee.
Gyumri Mayor's lawyer Aramayis Harutyunyan stated that his client denies the charges. He stated that of the six or seven counts in the case, only one concerns Ghukasyan's time as mayor.
Several dozen more Gyumri residents were detained for failing to comply with a lawful police order. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case in connection with the unrest under three articles of the Criminal Code: "participation in mass riots," "interference with the lawful official or political activities of an official," and "interference with the administration of justice or the investigation of a case."-0-
On October 20, the Armenian Anti-Corruption Committee opened a criminal case against eight Gyumri administration officials, including Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, on charges of giving and receiving bribes on an especially large scale. Investigators claim to have evidence of bribery demanded by the mayor and chief architect of Gyumri; the case includes an audio recording, presumably of a conversation between the defendants.
A large number of law enforcement officers, including "Red Berets," were deployed to the Gyumri City Hall on the morning of October 20 to detain Ghukasyan. For several hours, local residents and city hall staff attempted to impede the security forces, and several minor scuffles broke out in the crowd. Police managed to disperse the crowd and escort Ghukasyan out of the building, after which he was transported to the capital's Anti-Corruption Committee.
Gyumri Mayor's lawyer Aramayis Harutyunyan stated that his client denies the charges. He stated that of the six or seven counts in the case, only one concerns Ghukasyan's time as mayor.
Several dozen more Gyumri residents were detained for failing to comply with a lawful police order. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case in connection with the unrest under three articles of the Criminal Code: "participation in mass riots," "interference with the lawful official or political activities of an official," and "interference with the administration of justice or the investigation of a case."-0-
