Armenian Prosecutor General`s Office institutes criminal cases over  violations during local elections   

ArmInfo.Based on 108 reports about violations and fraud during the Sept 18 local elections, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has launched  monitoring measures.    

The press office of the Prosecutor General has told ArmInfo that 200  reports about violations in Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Syunik and  Tavush provinces have been received; 108 of them contained obvious  elements of crime. The relevant files have been sent to the local  departments of Armenian Police.   

In addition, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has  instituted a criminal case over abduction of a member of the Elders'  Council of Etchmiadzin based on the Elders' Council member's report  under Article 131.2.2 (Kidnapping by a group of persons with prior  agreement; kidnapping by using violence dangerous for life or health  or threat of using violence); as well as Article 149.2 Items 3 and 5  (Hindrance to implementation of the right to elect accompanied with  violence or threats to use violence) of the Armenian Criminal Code. 

The criminal case will be sent to the Investigative Committee for  pretrial investigation. At the same time, an instruction has been  issued to launch the necessary search and criminal procedure measures  aimed at disclosing the crime within the shortest period possible.     To recall, candidate for Etchmiadzin Mayor Arthur Tumanyan has  accused his rival and the winner of the past local elections Karen  Grigoryan, who is the son of MP Manvel Grigoryan, of kidnapping his  supporter Kirakos Bazhakyan.  "We learned that Grigoryan and his men  kidnapped Kirakos Bazhakyan, a member of our campaign headquarters",  he said. Moreover, he accuses his rival of attacking and using  violence against him. Tumanyan and his teammate Smbat Abgaryan were  hospitalized. Meantime, the spokesperson of the Etchmiadzin  Municipality Vardan Vardanyan disclaimed the reports on Bazhakyan's  kidnapping calling it provocation. 

Meanwhile, Grigoryan's supporters say that the scuffle between the  rivals started because Tumanyan shot at the car of Grigoryan's  brother, where the mayor was. Tumanyan, in turn, claims that he had  no arms and Grigoryan had. The Investigative Committee has already  initiated a criminal case based on Article 34-104.6.2 (attempted  murder).