Three Individuals Arrested from the 'Public Voice' Party

Three individuals have been arrested in connection with a criminal case concerning large-scale extortion by the leaders of the 'Public Voice' party. This was reported by the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

Earlier, we reported that public criminal proceedings have been initiated against co-chairs of the 'Public Voice' party, Vardan Ghukasyan and Artak Galstyan. Two individuals have been detained, and Galstyan has been placed in custody for two months.

The investigation has revealed several significant circumstances regarding the group's involvement in large-scale extortion.

In addition to Artak Galstyan, two other individuals—A. Mkrtumyan and E. Hovsepyan—were also arrested. It was revealed yesterday that Artak Galstyan has been detained.

Criminal proceedings have also been initiated against these individuals based on extortion allegations linked to a night club employee, and charges have been presented to the three mentioned individuals. They have been detained and transferred to a correctional facility.

The criminal case has been initiated under section 3 of Article 44-296 of the RA Criminal Code (attempted money laundering involving large sums) and section 3 of Article 258 (extortion committed on a particularly large scale).

It is worth noting that the party members are suspected of attempting to extort money and of trying to launder funds. Evidence collected during the investigation has established that Galstyan and Ghukasyan reached a preliminary agreement with T. A. (Tigran Arzakanzyan) to conduct extortion involving large amounts.