Ghazaryan empties his bag filled with cash after being arrested by the National Security Service. (Source: Azatutyun.am)
YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Vachagan Ghazaryan, a high-ranking officer who served as former President Serzh Sarkisian’s bodyguard for over two decades, was remanded Thursday while in custody. He was arrested on corruption charges three days prior.
A court in Yerevan allowed Armenia’s Special Investigative Service (SIS) to keep Ghazaryan in detention while an investigation stemming from the over $2 million worth of cash confiscated from him is pending.
The SIS on Wednesday formally charged him with illegally enriching himself and failing to disclose the bulk of his massive assets to a state anti-corruption body.
Ghazaryan was detained on Monday, five days after police raided his apartment in Yerevan and found $1.1 million and 230,000 euros ($267,000) in cash there.
The National Security Service (NSS), which made the arrest, said Ghazaryan carried $120,000 and 436 million drams ($900,000) in a bag when he was caught outside a commercial bank in Yerevan. It said Ghazaryan claimed that he was going to give the money to its “real ownerâ€
