Arrest Warrant Issued for Former Mayor of Vardenis

An arrest warrant has been issued against the former mayor of Vardenis, Aram Harutyunyan, in connection with an investigation into abuses discovered at the Vardenis Social Support Territorial Agency. This investigation is being conducted by the Gegharkunik Regional Investigation Department of the RA Investigative Committee, particularly in response to the criminal case regarding the reported malpractices.

Harutyunyan submitted a resignation request on December 3. He served as the head of the Vardenis Social Support Territorial Agency from March 26, 2004, until November 10, 2017, and then took office as the mayor in 2017.

Today, the Investigative Committee announced that an investigation has been opened, although it did not specify that the wanted person is Aram Harutyunyan. “An arrest warrant has been issued for the former head of the Vardenis territorial agency of the social support department of the regional administration. Following extensive investigative actions, details regarding his involvement in apparent fraud have also been obtained,” the statement read.

According to the investigation, the former head of the agency, in coordination with two agency employees, allegedly embezzled significant amounts of money intended for financially vulnerable families by incorporating false data into the computer database of social support beneficiaries. They reportedly agreemented to enter fake information about social vulnerability using personal identification codes, thereby misappropriating the benefits allocated to those individuals.

Between 2013 and July 2018, using their official positions, they entered blatantly false information in the agency’s database. More than ten citizens were registered as beneficiaries, without their knowledge. As a result, their names were added to the family benefit system as supposed support recipients.

Subsequently, two employees of Haypost signed for the funds related to these fictitious beneficiaries and received their shares, passing the remainder onto the agency's employees. Preliminary data indicates that the former head of the social support territorial agency, along with the two employees, fraudulently embezzled significantly large sums amounting to 6,520,000 AMD and 14,376,000 AMD, causing a total property damage of 20,896,000 AMD to the state.

Aram Harutyunyan has been charged under Article 178, Part 3, Clause 1 and Article 325, Part 2 of the RA Criminal Code. He is subject to detention as a preventive measure, and an arrest warrant has been issued.