Eight people including the head of Yerevan’s Arabkir Municipality Administration have been arrested following raids in the Armenian capital on Wednesday.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the National Anti-Corruption Court confirmed to CivilNet that those arrested included the head of the Arabkir Administrative District, Aram Azatyan, as well as his two deputies. Azatyan was reportedly released to house arrest for two months on ֏30 million ($77,000) bail.
According to the Investigative Committee, those arrested have been charged with abuse of office, and taking, giving, and mediating bribes.
Local media have reported that five other municipal employees and private citizens were arrested in the raids.
Alexander Kochubaev, a lawyer representing Hayk Galoyan, who has been accused of fraud, called the allegations ‘completely fabricated’.
He told RFE/RL that Galoyan’s company signed a contract with the district administration to repair the porches of administrative buildings. His company has been accused of completing the works improperly and defrauding the state of ֏20 million ($52,000).
Kochubaev said the contracts were signed in 2021 and that the work included a 1-year warranty period.
‘If the works have been performed and they have been accepted by the handover-acceptance act, you cannot abuse your powers or embezzle money’, he said. ‘If the residents misused it, the officials and developers can not be blamed here’, he added.
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