Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has filed a lawsuit with the country’s Anti-Corruption Court to seize $709,000 worth of property belonging to former Yerevan Deputy Mayor Vahe Nikoyan, claiming the property was purchased with illegally obtained funds.

Nikoyan was arrested last December on charges that he paid three billion AMD (US$7.6 million) to garbage hauler Sanitek JSC even though the company failed to provide services included in its contract with the Yerevan Municipality.

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee Committee (ACC) alleged that Nikoyan, while serving as deputy mayor from 2012-2018, monitored the issuance of sanitation contracts for Yerevan and awarded work deals to the companies despite their failure to meet qualification standards.