Gyumri mayor`s son placed under house arrest on extortion charges- RA  Investigative Committee

ArmInfo. Spartak Ghukasyan, the son of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan, has been placed under house arrest on charges of extortion committed through  coercion.

According to the press service of the Investigative Committee (IC) of  Armenia, the decision was made following the completion of a  preliminary investigation into the criminal case in the Shirak  Regional Department of the Investigative Committee. It is noted that  during the investigation, information was obtained indicating that  Spartak Ghukasyan, using his social position and authority,  approached a truck driver and demanded that he transported property  to a recreation area owned by and his family. "In order to control  the driver's actions, he also instructed his friend to get into the  truck and accompany him. The truck driver, out of fear and to avoid  negative consequences, complied. As a result of the aforementioned  actions, Spartak Ghukasyan appropriated property, causing serious  damage to the Gyumri community," the Investigative Committee's  statement reads.

In connection with the above, as noted by the source, a public  criminal prosecution has been initiated under paragraph 4, part 1,  Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, which relates to  extortion through coercion. "House arrest has been applied as a  preventive measure against the latter. The criminal case, along with  the indictment, has been forwarded to the supervising prosecutor for  approval and subsequent transfer to court for consideration on the  merits," the Investigative Committee concluded.