The official, Armen Markosian, is an aide to the governor of Armenia’s Aragatsotn province, of which Ashtarak is the administrative center. The national police service said the officers found 11.5 grams of marijuana in his car. Shamshyan.com, a website linked to the police, stressed that the “operation” was led by Sergei Martirosian, the town’s police chief.
It is not clear whether Markosian admitted possessing the banned substance. According to Aragatsotn Governor Sergei Movsisian, he took a drug test and is now awaiting its results.
“He is a former teacher and athlete,” Movsisian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “I’ve never felt that he has a tendency towards such things.”
The governor suggested on Monday that his subordinate may have been arrested because of having a “tense” personal rapport with Martirosian. But he denied such a connection the following day, claiming that the police chief tendered resignation before the incident.
The Armenian Interior Ministry likewise insisted that Martirosian’s resignation has nothing to do with the local official’s arrest. But it gave no reason for his decision.
Daniel Ioannisian, a civic activist monitoring the police, welcomed Martirosian’s exit, saying that it is long overdue.
“Some criminals have had close relations with the Ashtarak police chief,” claimed Ioannisian. “They felt very good, whereas ordinary people in some places were scared and terrified.”
He said that Martirosian did not lose his job earlier because of enjoying the backing of former Interior Minister Vahe Ghazarian. The latter resigned, together with several other senior officials, last month at the behest of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.