Armenian emergencies minister charged with corruption, detained - media

YEREVAN. March 31 (Interfax) - Armenian Emergencies Minister Andranik Piloyan has been detained on corruption charges, the Armenian newspaper Zhoghovurd reported on Wednesday.

"Piloyan has just been detained. He is charged with corruption activities. Earlier about 150 employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were interrogated. Some of them faced charges, and five of them were arrested. A network of corruption had been set up inside the ministry, and it reached up to the minister," the Zhoghovurd newspaper said, citing its sources.

This week, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ordered Piloyan to go on vacation.

Piloyan was appointed emergencies minister in November 2020. Prior to that, he was the commander of the Armenian Armed Forces' 5th Army Corps and was awarded the highest title of National Hero of Armenia during the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020.