Manvel Paramazyan Released, Welcomed with Applause and Hugs

Manvel Paramazyan, the mayor of Kajaran and a member of the "Armenia" alliance, was released today, December 18. He exited from the "Prisoners’ Hospital" to a warm welcome from relatives and friends, who greeted him with applause and hugs.

Earlier, it was reported that the court of general jurisdiction in the Syunik region had decided to release Manvel Paramazyan on bail.

In an interview with journalists, Paramazyan expressed gratitude to his lawyers, supporters, and all residents of Kajaran. He stated, “Since I have been isolated for six months and cut off from everything, I will answer questions about the processes. I promise that in the near future we will definitely meet, and I will answer all your questions.”

Paramazyan also mentioned that he has health issues, saying, “I want to thank the staff for their caring attitude, but I have serious health problems. I think long-term treatment is necessary.”

It is noteworthy that Manvel Paramazyan is accused of aiding in the embezzlement of property obtained through criminal means by concealing it from Armen Andreasian. According to the charges, he is implicated in a significant bribery scheme involving the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, which operates at 18 Mining Workers Street in the Kajaran community. The company was said to have unlawfully obtained approximately 65,403,333 AMD in property with the assistance of Nver Mkrtchyan and Vazgen Rushani Azaryan, the head of financial and economic, revenue accounting, and collecting department of the Kajaran municipality.

Moreover, Manvel Paramazyan, with the assistance of community management information system manager Roza Stepanyan, deputy community head Zohrap Arakelyan, and other unidentified personnel from the Kajaran municipality, allegedly committed official forgeries by inserting blatantly false information into official documents and preparing counterfeit documents during 2018-2019 for mercenary motives.

Additionally, with the use of his official position, he is accused of misappropriating a significant amount of money entrusted to him in the Kajaran community with the assistance of Roza Stepanyan, Zohrap Tigran Arakelyan, and other staff of the municipality whose identities are yet unknown.