Former Vanadzor mayor faces fraud trial over land deal

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee has indicted former Vanadzor Mayor Mamikon Aslanyan on charges of abuse of office and falsifying official records, alleging he unlawfully sold municipal property valued at nearly 25 million drams.

Prosecutors say that in 2021, while serving as community head, Aslanyan altered the designation of several land plots and assigned them addresses in violation of legal procedures. Investigators contend this created grounds to transfer the property without a competitive process.

Authorities allege that Aslanyan then inserted false information into official documents and sold parcels along Tigran Mets Avenue directly to a local resident without city council approval. The move, they say, deprived Vanadzor of the ability to manage community-owned property worth 24.89 million drams.

The investigation has concluded, and the case has been forwarded to Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court for trial.