Deputy chief of Armenian military's General Staff detained

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Stepan Galstyan has been detained as part of a criminal investigation into large-scale embezzlement and abuses during the purchase of weapons for the Armenian military, the National Security Service (NSS) said in a statement on Saturday.

He is accused of abuse of office and fraud that cost the state dearly. The NSS has filed a motion for his arrest to the court.

Large-scale investigative measures are being taken to identify all the persons involved and to prosecute them, the statement said.

Earlier, former Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan and arms dealer Davit Galstyan, better known as Patron Davo, were arrested as part of the same case for two months.