Court orders house arrest for Vardan Ghukasyan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's Anti-Corruption Court has replaced the pretrial detention of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan with house arrest, prohibiting him from using telephone calls and other means of communication, as well as from contacting other individuals. The court also set bail at 15 million drams.

Earlier, the public prosecutor had requested that Ghukasyan's detention be extended for another three months, Factor.am reported.

Ghukasyan is currently a defendant in three separate criminal cases, involving allegations of accepting bribes, making public calls aimed at renouncing Armenia's sovereignty, and using obscene language during a court hearing.

On October 20, 2025, law enforcement officers entered Gyumri City Hall to detain Vardan Ghukasyan. Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee announced that eight people had been arrested on suspicion of giving and receiving large-scale bribes.

The operation sparked widespread protests. Supporters gathered outside City Hall in an attempt to block officers from entering the building, and clashes later broke out, resulting in several detentions. Ghukasyan was ultimately taken into custody, formally charged, and the following day a court ordered his pretrial detention for two months.