A Yerevan court today sentenced a man to five years imprisonment for demanding and accepting large sums of money from four people, one a refugee, in return for getting them apartments from the State Housing Fund.

The man promised the four that he could arrange their paperwork and essentially “jump the line” of those waiting for one of the long sought after apartments.

Most of Yerevan’s housing stock dates from the Soviet era. Little in terms of accessible housing is currently being built in the Armenian capital.