President Sargsyan has 'instructed' to launch criminal case against former Yerevan mayor

(Former Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan)

Armenia's president has instructed the relevant law enforcement bodies to hold former Yerevan Mayor accountable for physically assaulting an employee of the presidential administration, a Republican Party of Armenia MP has said.

Speaking to RFE/RL Raffik Petrosyan, the head of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, has said that President Serzh Sargsyan has instructed to file a criminal case against former Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan.

"As far as I know, the president of the republic has also instructed to launch a criminal case, because, according to the Criminal Code, there are 3 [meaning 2] criminally punishable acts in the mayor's deeds: physical assault, due to which the victim suffered minor injuries, and kidnapping," said Petrosyan.

Former Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan was pressured to resign after he allegedly physically assaulted Aram Kandayan - an employee of the Department of Protocol at the presidential administration.

Kandayan had reportedly asked Beglaryan's wife at a concert last week in Yerevan to move to another chair so that not to be seated immediately next to the president - something mandatory by the protocol for such events.

After widespread media reports presidential spokesperson Armen Arzumanyan confirmed the reports about the incident, adding, however, that the media had exaggerated it. He also said that there had been no kidnapping.

Raffik Petrosyan further said that a probe will be opened into the incident, and if it finds out that former Yerevan Mayor Beglaryan has kidnapped Kandayan, he may face up to 5 years in prison.

"Should the investigation find out that Beglaryan has really kidnapped [him], the relevant article envisages up to a 5-year sentence. While should it turn out that there has only been physical assault, causing the victim slight body harm and if the victim has no complains about it, the case will be suppressed," Raffik Petrosyan has explained.