Under the criminal case being investigated by the Regional Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia in Shirak Province, sufficient evidence has been obtained according to which Vardan Ghukasyan, serving as mayor of Gyumri, during his term of office, by falsifying, with the help of several officials, statements of information of the municipality and records of the auction committee that were official documents, by personally participating in the auctions for alienation of lands in violation of the requirements of the legislation on bargaining and being declared winner, in the period between 2001 and 2011, alienated several prohibited state- or community-owned property that was prohibited from being transferred to citizens and legal persons by the right of ownership through direct sale or auction.

As a result, the community- or state-owned properties were alienated to him in certain cases and to other persons and entities, and the right of ownership over those properties was registered on the basis of the fake documents submitted to the territorial unit of the State Cadastre Committee of Real Estate of Armenia, causing essential damage to the interests of the state and community.

By combination of the pieces of sufficient evidence, on August 10, 2021, former mayor of Gyumri Vardan Ghukasyan was charged under relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia.

Signature to not leave has been chosen as a pre-trial measure. Preliminary investigation continues.