Vote-buying scandal deepens around Strong Armenia party

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee has reported new allegations of voter bribery involving supporters of the Strong Armenia party, headed by Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan.

According to a statement released by the committee and cited by Armenian media, investigators have uncovered what they describe as another case of alleged election-related bribery linked to the party’s local structures, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The investigation alleges that the head of the Strong Armenia party office in the Byureghavan city of Kotayk Province provided a resident of the same city with a pre-election bribe in exchange for voting in favor of the party.

Authorities also released an audio recording as part of the investigation. In the recording, one of the men can reportedly be heard claiming that he received approximately 300,000 Armenian drams ($818) over a two-month period.

The Anti-Corruption Committee said criminal proceedings have been launched in connection with the case. Several individuals have been detained as part of the ongoing investigation.

By Vafa Guliyeva