Former head of Armenia's State Revenue Committee now under house arrest

The pretrial detention measure for Vardan Harutyunyan, former head of Armenia's State Revenue Committee, has been changed to house arrest, said his lawyer, Armen Andrikyan, Report informs referring to Armenian media.

According to Andrikyan, the defense had petitioned not to extend the pretrial detention.

Harutyunyan was arrested on August 8 and remanded in custody for two months; his pretrial detention was subsequently extended.

According to the Anti-Corruption Committee, he is charged with illegal business activity, violating antitrust laws, and money laundering. Back in 2018, Armenia's National Security Service announced the uncovering of a tax and fee evasion scheme amounting to approximately $7 million.

The scheme operated through Norfolk Consulting, a large company that handled utility bills. Several people were arrested in this case, including Armen Hunanyan, CEO of Norfolk Consulting and former chief accountant of Gazprom Armenia. Investigators believe Vardan Harutyunyan was involved in the company's activities.