Vahagn Vermishyan's Dismissal Proposal on Government Agenda

The Government of Armenia will discuss the proposal to dismiss Vahagn Vermishyan from the position of chairman of the Urban Development Committee. The draft decision is included in the agenda of the government meeting scheduled for February 27.

Vermishyan has been arrested on suspicion of receiving a particularly large bribe. Having led the Urban Development Committee for nearly a year, Vermishyan reportedly established a company for design works in the name of an acquaintance and directed developers who approached him to conduct transactions specifically with that company.

According to law enforcement, Vermishyan has cooperated with construction workers or representatives of construction companies based on agreements reached, performing actions in their favor or facilitating the swift adoption and provision of desired decisions. In return, Vermishyan personally or through an associate received bribes ranging from 1 million to 2.5 million drams or equivalent in goods.

Furthermore, the chairman of the Urban Development Committee, during a meeting in his office last October, reportedly agreed with the owner of several construction companies to present him with the title of “Honored Builder of Armenia” in exchange for receiving a bribe of $5,000 and construction materials valued at around 2.3 million drams, as reported last week by the National Security Service.

In connection with the criminal case launched against Vermishyan concerning bribery, charges have also been filed against six other individuals. Based on a court ruling, three of them have been remanded in custody for a period of two months.