They refused to immediately reveal what the arrested officials are accused or suspected of. A spokesman for Armenia’s Investigative Committee said only that the raid was jointly conducted by officers of his law-enforcement agency and the National Security Service as part of an investigation conducted by a committee division dealing with “crimes against the state, fundamentals of the constitutional order and public security.”
“In the interests of the investigation, no additional information will be released at the moment,” the official, Gor Abrahamian wrote on Facebook.
Abrahamian also declined to name the “detained individuals.” Sources told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that they include the head of the Arabkir administration, Aram Azatian, his deputy Davit Balasanian and about a dozen other persons, including local officials. They claimed that the arrests are connected with the officials’ handling of public procurements.
Azatian, 43, has run one of the Armenian capital’s biggest and most populous districts since 2022. Yerevan’s new Mayor Tigran Avinian reappointed him to that post last October. Azatian said at the time that he enjoys Arabkir residents’ “trust and support” and will continue to serve them “with great responsibility.”
Avinian’s spokesman, Hayk Kostanian, reported the “investigative actions” at the Arabkir district administration but did not comment on them, saying that the investigators will provide “additional information” if necessary.