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Arrested mogul Karapetyan says is creating political party

The billionaire was detained by police on June 18 for allegedly calling for overthrowing the government

YEREVAN, July 14. /TASS/. Russian businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, who was arrested by a court in Armenia for allegedly calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order, has announced plans to establish a political party.

"We are creating a new political force," Karapetyan’s press service quoted him as saying.

The arrested businessman said that even as he respects the traditional opposition which has until recently fought against "Nikol Pashinyan’s anti-national regime," he has his own "vision of a better future for Armenia." "We will follow our own path, with our new team, and we can even collaborate with like-minded politicians. We will try to consolidate our people around fairer and greater goals. We reject the black-and-white or other artificial divisions imposed by this government on society, weakening our country," he added.

The billionaire was detained by Armenian police on June 18 for allegedly calling for the overthrow of the government. He denied the accusations. A court in Yerevan ruled to place him under arrest for two months. Following that, inspections into his businesses were launched and a number of Tashir Pizza restaurants in Yerevan and other regions of Armenia were closed.

In addition, Armenia’s parliament has approved a bill to nationalize energy company Electric Networks of Armenia, owned by Karapetyan.

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