Authorities refute reports on first arrest in wiretapping case involving top law-enforcement officials

The Armenian Investigative Committee denies media reports alleging the first suspect has been arrested in the high-profile wiretapping case involving former Director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan and Head of the Special Investigative Service Sasun Khachatryan.

In a post on Facebook, Investigative Committee spokesperson Nairia Harutyunyan said no person has even been officially classified as a suspect in the criminal investigation so far. 

“No person has been arrested as part of the criminal case,” she wrote.

The recording of the wiretapped conversation between the top law-enforcement officials was leaked to the public in September 2018. In the recording, the two high-level officials informally discuss the criminal investigation into the March 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan.