Gyumri mayor remanded in custody despite defense arguments

Investigators convinced a Yerevan court to remand Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, who is suspected of accepting bribes. The opposition politician denied the charges, and his lawyer called the case fabricated.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," investigators suspect Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and the city's chief architect of accepting bribes. On October 20, Ghukasyan and seven others were detained after searches at City Hall.

The Yerevan Anti-Corruption Court, where the mayor of Gyumri was detained, considered the investigator's motion to arrest Vardan Ghukasyan until the morning and ultimately granted it, jailing Ghukasyan for two months, News.am reports.

Vardan Ghukasyan stated in court that the charge is "baseless, it's simply political persecution," his lawyer, Zaruhi Postanjyan, said today.

There is no factual basis to support reasonable suspicion.

She noted that the defense also considers the mayor's prosecution unfounded. "We are dealing with a clearly fabricated, ordered case, the purpose of which is to deprive Gyumri of its ability to govern itself independently and to create chaos in Gyumri. There is no factual basis to support this reasonable suspicion," she said.

The telephone conversations of the "opposition mayor" were wiretapped by court order just a few days after his election, the lawyer emphasized. "We have documented evidence of the court ruling. The court ruling states that Vardan Ghukasyan's phone may be wiretapped at his place of residence. Now I can assume that any opposition politician or public servant, including the head of a community, has a court ruling allowing for investigative operations in their homes. This means that the government is invading people's privacy through widespread court rulings," the publication quotes her as saying.

He can't use toiletries or change clothes.

The lawyer also pointed out violations of the detainee's rights and instances of cruelty against him. "We can't say he was tortured, but he was subjected to inhumane treatment. From yesterday until now, Mr. Ghukasyan has not been given food, despite having diabetes. He has no clothes, no hygiene products, and no change of clothes. This arrest was completely illegal; it was unnecessary, and the justification is also illegal," she explained.

Postanjyan added that visits with Ghukasyan are partially restricted; he can only see family members, the publication writes.

As a reminder, snap elections for the Gyumri Council of Elders were held on March 30. The ruling Civil Contract party won, but its votes were not enough to ensure that the party's candidate, Sarik Minasyan, became mayor, and communist Vardan Ghukasyan was given the opportunity to take the post. He took office on April 19.

On September 11, security forces reported that Spartak Ghukasyan, the son of Gyumri Mayor, was detained on suspicion of extortion. Vardan Ghukasyan criticized the extortion theory and claimed the case was politically motivated and intended to "settle scores" with him.