Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking in parliament in response to a question from MP Emma Palyan, stated that Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan was arrested “because of his own thoughts and actions.”
Referring to claims that Ghukasyan was arrested due to the Prime Minister’s earlier public statements, Pashinyan responded: “They say Vardan Ghukasyan was arrested because of my thoughts. Vardan Ghukasyan was arrested because of his own thoughts and actions. My thought can be used against me — how can my thought be used against someone else?”
He also remarked that he regretted the parliamentary format didn’t allow him to respond to the MP with a YouTube link, 1lurer.am reported.
On October 20, Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee conducted investigative actions in the Gyumri Municipality as part of an ongoing criminal case. Eight people, including Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, were detained on charges of large-scale bribery. He has been remanded in custody for two months and suspended from office. A separate case has been opened related to mass unrest and obstruction of justice.
