Police today in Armenia arrested the former mayor of Ijevan, the provincial capital of Tavush, on charges of money laundering and abuse of official authority. His son was arrested as part of the same criminal case.

Varuzhan Nersisyan, who served as Ijevan mayor from 1999 – 2011, is charged with illegally acquiring  land in the town via a fraudulent auction.

Nersisyan used the name of an associate to purchase the land and then registered the property to another associate to conceal the scam.