YEREVAN, August 25. /TASS/. Six people, including Armenia's former President (1998-2008) and opposition Armenia bloc leader Robert Kocharyan and his son, have been detained in a criminal case, with Kocharyan accused of abuse of office, the Anti-Corruption Committee's press office said.
A spokeswoman for the country's Investigative Committee, Kima Avdalyan, said investigators are searching two companies owned by the former president's family.
TASS has compiled the main details of the case.
Accusations
- Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee accuses former President Robert Kocharyan of removing a number of valuable real estate properties of public and economic importance from state ownership "under various fabricated pretexts" and acquiring them at below-market prices.
- The committee said in a video that he acted "in prior collusion with people close to him, while using his official position."
- According to the preliminary investigation, the properties were registered to affiliated companies to conceal their "actual ownership and criminal origin."
- The acquired properties were later used for development, sale or transferred to third parties.
Detention
- A spokeswoman for Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee, Marina Ogajanyan, told TASS that former President Kocharyan has been detained.
- His elder son, Sedrak Kocharyan, has also been detained.
- According to the Anti-Corruption Committee's press service, six people "involved in criminal schemes" have been detained altogether.
- Kocharyan was taken to a hospital by ambulance under escort from National Security Service officers, according to 24news.am.
Searches
- Investigators are searching two companies owned by the Kocharyan family, Armenia's Investigative Committee spokeswoman Kima Avdalyan said.
- Investigative and procedural actions are being carried out at the Orange fitness club and Play City entertainment center, as well as at the apartments of their directors.
- The search is being conducted within a criminal case, Avdalyan said.
- In the morning, Mesrop Manukyan, a lawmaker from the opposition Armenia parliamentary bloc, said that "at around 7:00 a.m. (03:00 a.m. GMT), law enforcement officers entered by force the home of parliament member Levon Kocharyan."
- Manukyan also noted that three minor children were present in the home.
Clash with Pashinyan
- Law enforcement actions against the former president's family followed a verbal altercation between Levon Kocharyan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in parliament on August 24.
- Manukyan said that "the order was given directly from the parliamentary rostrum."
- Opposition Armenia bloc lawmaker Sevak Khachatryan believes that Robert Kocharyan was detained on Pashinyan's direct orders and that this constitutes political persecution.
- He said that "all of Armenia saw how the country's prime minister gave law enforcement officers a direct order to fabricate criminal cases, apply pressure, and carry out terror against Robert Kocharyan's family and those close to him.".