Search Conducted at Former Supreme Judicial Council President Ruben Vardazaryan's Residence

The Anti-Corruption Committee has conducted a search at the residence, summer house, and garage of former Supreme Judicial Council President Ruben Vardazaryan. This information has been provided to Sputnik Armenia by its own sources. No further details are currently available, and it remains unclear under what case the search is being carried out.

It is worth recalling that on June 20, 2022, during a press conference, former Supreme Judicial Council President Ruben Vardazaryan released a recording of a conversation with acting Supreme Judicial Council President Gagik Jhangiryan, revealing several intriguing moments related to exerting pressure on the judicial system.

In a secretly recorded conversation from February 2021, Gagik Jhangiryan urged Ruben Vardazaryan, who was then still in office, to resign and spoke about intervening in the proceedings of criminal cases. He noted that he could facilitate the termination of criminal cases and initiate others, saying 'we will drown this' and 'he will drown this.' Jhangiryan later clarified on public television that he was just 'teasing' with such comments.

On June 23, 2022, it became known that Vardazaryan's powers as a judge were terminated due to significant disciplinary violations. Acting Supreme Judicial Council President Gagik Jhangiryan submitted his resignation on July 1. On December 7, 2022, it was reported that the Investigative Committee of Armenia had terminated the criminal proceedings initiated regarding the controversial conversation between Vardazaryan and Jhangiryan. In January 2023, it was revealed that the criminal case related to the recording had been reopened.