Armenian anti-corruption court extends custody of Gyumri mayor

The Armenian court has rejected a motion filed by the defence team of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan seeking to lift his arrest. As a result, the mayor will remain in pre-trial detention, his lawyer Aramayis Hayrapetyan confirmed.

Hayrapetyan told journalists that the defence had requested a change in Ghukasyan’s preventive measure from detention to house arrest. He emphasized that the request was based on considerations related to judicial progress rather than the mayor’s health condition, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

“Based on the above, we requested that the preventive measure be changed from arrest to house arrest; however, the court today made a different decision [maintaining the arrest],” Hayrapetyan said.

He added that the defence will decide whether to appeal the ruling after reviewing the court’s written reasoning. The issue of changing the preventive measure is expected to be revisited in May.

On March 4, Judge Levon Petrosyan of the Anti-Corruption Court extended Ghukasyan’s detention for a further two months, marking the second such extension.

By Vafa Guliyeva