Ghukasian Does This So He Can Say He Was Arrested for That. Sarukhanyan

It is not new that Vardan Ghukasian is involved in numerous criminal cases, apparently 40 episodes. This was stated by Karen Sarukhanyan, a parliament member from the ruling Civil Contract party, during a conversation with journalists in the National Assembly.

According to him, Vardan Ghukasian's candidacy was put forward precisely for the reason of defending his criminal cases, which he himself has mentioned. He said, 'I was sitting quietly, doing nothing, but since criminal cases were initiated, I am participating in this process because there are criminal cases against me. He is doing this so that if by chance something happens as a result of the criminal cases, if there are convictions, he can say, 'I became the mayor of Gyumri, and that’s why I was arrested.'

In response to the question of whether it is possible for Vardan Ghukasian to be detained, which would be beneficial for the Civil Contract party, Sarukhanyan replied, 'That is not a question for me; I can only provide a political assessment of the situation. Please ask the relevant authorities about the legal side. However, it is known to all of us that Vardan Ghukasian is involved in numerous criminal cases and is undergoing proceedings under the law on the confiscation of illegally acquired property, and those cases existed even before the municipal elections in Gyumri.'