Aslanyan linked his persecution to joining "Strong Armenia."

A new case has been filed in court against the former mayor of Vanadzor, Mamikon Aslanyan, for official forgery and abuse of power. The proceedings, which have been ongoing since 2021, resumed after his joining "Strong Armenia," the politician stated.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", former mayor of Vanadzor Mamikon Aslanyan was found guilty of land fraud and sentenced to four years and four months in prison. Following the voting on December 5, 2021, in the elections for the Council of Elders of Vanadzor, the highest number of voters supported the opposition bloc of the current mayor, Mamikon Aslanyan. The elders were supposed to elect Aslanyan as the head of the community on December 17, but the day before the elections, he was suspended from office and then arrested in a case of abuse of power.

A candidate for deputy from the "Strong Armenia" bloc, former mayor of Vanadzor Mamikon Aslanyan stated that the criminal case against him was "revived" after he announced his joining the political force.

He was also summoned to the Investigative Committee, but he did not provide any testimony.

"We knew about this case, but did not make it public. Why it was revived now will be shown by time," News.Am quotes him.

According to him, the investigation has been ongoing since 2022, but initially, it did not concern him. "In 2026, when I announced my joining the party 'Strong Armenia,' this case was revived, and the investigative body deemed it necessary to involve me as a defendant," Armenia Today reports his words.

After the charges were brought, Aslanyan stated that he refused to give testimony. The court imposed preventive measures on him in the form of a travel ban and bail. According to Aslanyan, the case was separated from the criminal proceedings under which he was arrested in 2021. He considers it an attempt to exert additional political pressure. Aslanyan added that he had not commented on this case earlier, as he did not see the point in making it a subject of public discussion during the election campaign.

According to data from the judicial and legal system Datalex, on July 15, the criminal case was submitted to the Anti-Corruption Court. According to the investigation, from 2016 to 2021, while serving as mayor of Vanadzor, Aslanyan committed official forgery, abused his official powers, and intentionally failed to fulfill his official duties, causing significant harm to the legitimate interests of the community. The case is being considered by Judge Sarkis Petrosyan, the agency reports.