Eight individuals apprehended in Gyumri for accepting bribes, including mayor
YEREVAN, October 20. /ARKA/. Eight individuals in Gyumri, Armenia's second-largest city, have been apprehended on allegations of accepting substantial bribes from officials, as reported by the Anti-Corruption Committee.
"Following extensive investigative operations and covert actions carried out by the Investigative Department of the Anti-Corruption Committee, substantial evidence has been gathered indicating that the head of the Gyumri community, along with the chief architect of the community, colluded to solicit and accept bribes," stated the Committee.
It has been noted that a decision has been made to initiate public prosecution and detain eight individuals, including community head Vardan Ghukasyan, as part of the ongoing criminal proceedings.
It was specifically disclosed that the leader of the Gyumri community and the chief architect, upon discovering that a citizen had unlawfully constructed a building measuring approximately 1,500 square meters in Gyumri, which was scheduled for demolition, consented to engage in a "corrupt" arrangement with the citizen, assuring that the unauthorized structure would not be demolished. Additionally, to legitimize the building, they falsified documents indicating that the structure had been demolished and subsequently rebuilt, soliciting a substantial bribe of 4 million drams in return.
The chief architect, in prior coordination with the community leader and with his awareness, met multiple times with this citizen to discuss the specifics of the process for legalizing the construction with city officials, as well as the details regarding the phased transfer of the requested bribe using the "action-money-action-money" method, thus making the final demand for the bribe and receiving a commitment to pay it.
Factual evidence has also been gathered showing that, to maintain the confidentiality of their corrupt operations, the members of the criminal group intentionally targeted individuals on the Gyumri Community Council whom they disfavored, collecting various information about them and establishing control through intimidation.
Moreover, evidence has been collected indicating that the community leader, utilizing his official authority, effectively instigated the falsification of official documents to create false justifications for the privatization of a parcel of land that he actually used and which was owned by the community in the name of the defendant, as well as the legalization of an illegally constructed building owned by a close relative of his.
The investigation has also uncovered evidence suggesting that the chief architect accepted bribes of different amounts from several individuals for illicit activities in six additional cases.
Several hundred individuals gathered outside the Gyumri City Hall. The atmosphere was tense, prompting the deployment of police forces. Church bells were ringing. The police urged citizens to avoid any unlawful actions, warning that interference with the legitimate activities of law enforcement could lead to criminal liability under Armenian law. -0-
