Owner of 'Gloria' Garment Factory and Chief Architect of Vanadzor Arrested

Bagrat Darbinyan, the owner of Armenia's largest garment factory 'Gloria', and Suren Abovyan, the chief architect of Vanadzor, have been arrested following several hours of searches in their offices this morning. The Anti-Corruption Committee confirmed to 'Azatutyun' that the arrests were part of an ongoing criminal investigation, though they provided no further details.

The media has learned that the arrested officials are suspected of granting illegal construction permits. The Anti-Corruption Committee has not commented on this matter yet.

According to sources, other individuals have also been arrested in connection with the same case. The Anti-Corruption Committee neither confirmed nor denied this information.

Chief Architect Suren Abovyan is also implicated in a case involving former mayor Mamikon Aslanyan, which has been in court for over two years. Authorities claim he assisted Aslanyan in abusing his official powers and committing official forgery. Unlike the former mayor, architect Suren Abovyan has not spent any days in detention and has continued to serve in the Vanadzor municipality alongside the criminal proceedings.

Last year, Anti-Corruption Committee investigators had also searched the municipal departments of Income Accounting, Collection and Advertising, as well as the Trade Services and Transport Department during working hours, which led to the launch of a criminal case. The authorities suspect that irregularities occurred with purchases and the leasing processes of community-owned lands.

As of today, there are no defendants charged in this case, and the Anti-Corruption Committee has released no details. It is only known that the alleged abuses occurred in recent years under the tenure of acting mayor Arkadi Peleshyan, appointed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.