Municipal corruption
Official self-enrichment; asset recovery
City assets — green-zone land, real estate — were funnelled into private hands for years through deals at the edge of the law. Since 2018 the prosecutor's office has been trying, through the courts, to claw back what was illegally acquired; some suits have already been granted.
How it began
Before. Through the 1990s and 2000s municipal property was privatized without transparent oversight: land and real estate were signed over to insiders, and protected green zones were subdivided into private hands. For years this carried no legal consequence.
What changed. After 2018 the state launched a drive to recover illegally acquired property, and in 2022 the Anti-Corruption Court became operational — only then did the old deals become the subject of real litigation.
Timeline
- Origin
The Nork forest-park subdivision scheme
In the 2000s protected forest and green plots of the Nork massif, reserved for expanding the city's parks, were subdivided and privatized. A CivilNet investigation later exposed the scheme.
- Milestone
The Anti-Corruption Court begins work
The specialized Anti-Corruption Court hears both corruption crimes and civil suits to confiscate property of illicit origin. As of 2024 it had over 100 such suits pending, totalling more than $1.3 billion.
- LegalOngoing
21 lawsuits over 'Nork Gardens'
Over the Nork massif, the prosecutor's office filed 21 lawsuits across 16 cases — 10 in the Anti-Corruption Court and 11 in the Administrative Court — to return illegally alienated plots to the state.
- MilestoneWin
First return: a 9,420 m² plot
In one of the cases the court ordered a 9,420 m² plot in the Nork forests returned to the state — the first result of the campaign over this massif.
- LegalOngoing
76.8M dram suit against ex-mayor Beglaryan
The Kentron and Nork-Marash district prosecutors filed a suit in the Anti-Corruption Court to recover 76,822,000 drams of damage to the city community from former Yerevan mayor Gagik Beglaryan; the court froze his property.
- LegalUnlawfulWin
Court grants the Beglaryan claim in full
The Anti-Corruption Court fully granted the prosecution's claim to recover 76.8M drams from Gagik Beglaryan for the city community. A separate case investigates his illegal acquisition of 27 real-estate properties.
Red flags
- Rezoning
Protected forest and green plots of the Nork massif, reserved for city parks, were subdivided and moved into private ownership in the 2000s; prosecutors are contesting this across 16 cases.
- Illicit enrichment
Ex-mayor Gagik Beglaryan is accused of illegally acquiring 27 real-estate properties while serving as mayor and district head; prosecutors seek to confiscate allegedly illicit property worth 16.8 billion drams.
Litigation
- Anti-Corruption CourtDecidedClaimant won
Prosecutor's Officev.Gagik Beglaryan
A prosecution suit to recover from the former Yerevan mayor the damage caused to the city community.
Filed: September 3, 2025Decided: July 13, 2026Filed on 3 September 2025 with an immediate asset freeze; granted in full in July 2026. A parallel case investigates the illegal acquisition of 27 real-estate properties.
Money
- 76.8 million AMDDamages recovered
Recovered from ex-mayor Gagik Beglaryan for the city community by an Anti-Corruption Court ruling — for damage caused to the community.
July 13, 2026Prosecutor's Office, Gagik Beglaryan
Key facts
- Confiscation suits (Armenia, 2024)
- 100+ for $1.3bn
- Returned to the state (Nork)
- 9,420 m²
Sources
CivilNet · In the 'Nork Gardens' case, prosecutors filed 21 lawsuits across 16 cases
PanARMENIAN.Net · Ex-Yerevan mayor faces 76.8 million dram claim
Iravaban.net · Prosecutor's Office demands confiscation of allegedly illicit property worth 16.8 billion AMD from Beglaryan
ARKA · Prosecutor General reports 100+ lawsuits for ~$1.3bn on confiscation of illegally acquired property