Former Armenian community leader accused of $454,000 state damage

Arakel Virabyan, the former head of the Ptghni community in Armenia’s Kotayk province, has been charged with illegally acquiring 22 land plots between 2000 and 2021, causing an estimated 182 million drams ($454,000) in damage to the state, according to the country’s Anti-Corruption Committee, Report informs via Armenian media.

Virabyan faces charges of money laundering and large-scale misappropriation of property.

Additionally, five individuals have been charged with complicity in the alleged crimes.

Virabyan and one of his sons were detained in May 2025.