New Scandal Around Mayor Marutyan: Was He a Dual Citizen at the Time of Election?

According to the "Hraparak" newspaper, a new scandal may be brewing around Mayor Haik Marutyan. Opposition members of the council have been trying to determine for some time whether Marutyan was a dual citizen at the time of his election or if he managed to renounce his Czech citizenship.

The issue is that, under Czech legislation, only individuals considered Czech citizens could acquire real estate in the country before 2011. "Marutyan currently has quite a significant amount of property in the Czech Republic, which indicates that he was a Czech citizen," said an opposition council member.

Why haven’t you sent an inquiry? "Czech Republic does not provide information on this matter. We have not yet been able to clarify his wife Iva's maiden name, but we also have information that her father is quite a respected Soros supporter in the Czech Republic," they added.

Could this have been the reason he became a candidate for mayor? "I would find it difficult to say.” In response to our questions, the press secretary of the mayor’s office stated: "We are not the authorities on citizenship; that is handled by the Electoral Commission. As for Mrs. Iva, we do not comment on gossip." And if it turns out to be a fact, from whom should we seek clarification? "There is a council meeting on December 25; you can ask Haik Marutyan directly there."

By the way, regarding the Electoral Commission, our source in the council said, "The Electoral Commission had no authority to verify this. Marutyan became mayor by law, was on the council list, and a council member can be a dual citizen; it is not prohibited, whereas the mayor cannot. When this question is posed to Marutyan, he never provides a direct answer."

For more details, see today’s issue of the newspaper.