Police today arrested former Armenian Minister of Education Armen Ashotyan on charges of abusing his official position and money laundering in a case involving Yerevan’s State Medical University.

Ashotyan was education minister from 2009 to 2016 and also served as deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia.

The Prosecutor General's Office says it will provide details of the charges later.

Ashotyan, a fierce critic of the Pashinyan government, described the charges as a “fabrication and political persecution”.