Armenian authorities issue arrest warrant for 6 Strong Armenia candidates
On Saturday, the eve of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, arrest warrants were issued for six parliamentary candidates from the Strong Armenia bloc: Hayk Avagyan, Sasun Badoyan, Arthur Abrahamyan, Vahe Tavakalyan, Vahe Yeghiazaryan, and Ashot Sahakyan.
The Investigative Committee announced the decision shortly after the Central Election Commission (CEC) approved a prosecutorial motion which sought consent to indict the six candidates as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering. According to Armenian law, the authorities must obtain the CEC’s consent before charging or arresting registered parliamentary candidates.
The Prosecutor General’s Office also submitted a separate motion to the CEC to issue a similar arrest warrant for Strong Armenia candidate David Ghazinyan, the former head of the Electric Networks of Armenia, on similar charges.
It is unclear when the authorities intend to carry out the physical arrests.
