Ex-Abovyan mayor to stand trial for alleged land sales, money laundering in Armenia

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee has completed its investigation and officially submitted the case of Karapet Guloyan—former mayor of Abovyan and son-in-law of Prosperous Armenia party leader and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan—to the judicial authorities.

Guloyan is accused of abusing his official position to sell 65 public land plots, including squares, roads, parks, and other communal areas. These transactions were conducted without the legally mandated public auctions, and municipal staff allegedly assisted in creating falsified auction protocols to facilitate the sales, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The investigation further alleges that Guloyan, in premeditated collusion, sought to legalize the misappropriated lands through fabricated transaction documents.

He faces charges of money laundering and exceeding his official authority. Guloyan has admitted to the allegations and fully reimbursed the damages, totaling 261 million drams (approximately $678,000).

As a precautionary measure, the court has imposed a travel ban on Guloyan, with bail set at 40 million drams (just over $100,000).

By Vafa Guliyeva