Measures Taken to Arrest Vardan Ghukasyan and Transfer Him to Armenia

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has reported that sufficient evidence has been gathered during the pre-investigation of a criminal case initiated by the Serious Crimes Investigation Department of the RA IC regarding the extortion of 53,806,500 AMD, equivalent to 110,000 USD, from citizen T.A. by Vardan Ghukasyan, known by the nickname "Dog," and his accomplice Artak Galstyan, along with two other individuals. They are accused of extorting significant amounts under the pretext of providing services and demanding property from the representative responsible for a nightclub, notably extorting amounts ranging from 60,000 to 100,000 USD.

Based on the evidence obtained, public criminal prosecution has been initiated against V. Ghukasyan and A. Galstyan, as well as two other accomplices, for the group extortion of particularly large amounts. Charges have also been presented against A. Galstyan and the other two individuals, and they have been remanded in custody as a preventive measure.

During extensive procedural and evidential actions, additional evidence was obtained indicating that on July 9, 2021, V. Ghukasyan exhibited disrespect towards the court in a video posted on his personal page on YouTube. Moreover, on November 12, 2022, he made public calls for violence against contract servicemen, motivated by political views, on his personal pages on the social media platforms YouTube and Facebook.

Based on these facts, public criminal prosecution has been initiated against V. Ghukasyan for two incidents under Article 258, Part 3(3), Article 489, Part 2, Article 330, Part 2(3) of the RA Criminal Code, as well as for committing an act described in Article 137.1, Part 2(1) during the commission of a crime.

The prosecuting authority has submitted a petition to the court for the application of custody as a preventive measure against V. Ghukasyan, which has been granted. According to information received from the RA Police, measures are being taken to execute an international search for V. Ghukasyan through Interpol.

Simultaneously, information has been obtained within the framework of the criminal proceedings indicating that V. Ghukasyan is located in the United States. Consequently, all necessary documentation related to the criminal case, as well as a request for international legal assistance to provide the necessary support for locating V. Ghukasyan and transferring him to the relevant authorities in Armenia, has been forwarded to the RA Prosecutor General's Office for the purpose of ensuring the necessary procedures.

Below are screenshots of relevant and important parts of conversations Vardan Ghukasyan had with representatives of the nightclub and citizen T.A. (with their consent) through a mobile application.