The Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia announced that in the framework of a criminal case concerning alleged bribery, bribery-giving, and group abuse of authority by several officials in the Gyumri community, decisions have been made to suspend the officials from their positions.

Earlier, NEWS.am reported that on October 20, law enforcement officers conducted a special operation at the Gyumri City Hall. Masked officers quickly detained Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan at the rear entrance of the City Hall and transported him to Yerevan to the Anti-Corruption Committee.

Subsequently, the Anti-Corruption Committee reported that eight City Hall employees, including Mayor Ghukasyan, were arrested on charges of giving and receiving bribes. The arrested individuals also include the city’s chief architect, Henrik Gasparyan. The Committee’s statement noted the existence of a wiretapped recording of a conversation between the mayor and the chief architect.

Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan has been remanded in custody for two months.

Additionally, a criminal case has been initiated in Gyumri against 33 individuals for participating in mass unrest and obstructing the administration of justice.

It is worth noting that on October 1, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated in the National Assembly: “For six months, Gyumri has been governed by a clan whose leader, known by many as ‘Vardanik,’ or according to the accusation, as the son of a local brush thief, has recently made statements that publicly cast doubt on the sovereignty of Armenia. Those who make declarations against the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia must be removed from the political and public field.”