The official, Aram Azatian, and his two deputies were arrested when law-enforcement authorities raided the district administration building in July 2024. They as well as eight other persons are currently standing trial.
Azatian is accused of twice accepting hefty bribes and ordering his subordinates to commit “forgery” in the administration of public procurements. He was held in detention for more than ten months and then moved to house arrest.
Despite his arrest and indictment, Azatian was not sacked by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinian. He is reportedly a figure close to Avinian.
On July 18, Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court freed Azatian from house arrest on bail while restricting his freedom of movement. The district chief reported for work for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
The court’s decision requires him to wear an electronic bracelet tracking his movements and report to the state Probation Service once a week. The next court hearing in his trial is scheduled for Friday. Azatian, 44, has run one of the Armenian capital’s biggest and most populous districts since 2022.
Several other local government officials in Yerevan have also been prosecuted on corruption charges over the past year. They include the heads of the Yerevan municipality’s departments on public utilities and public order. It remains unclear whether Mayor Avinian, who is a senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party, has been questioned in any of those inquiries.