Armenia's former president Robert Kocharyan and his elder son Sedrak Kocharyan were detained after searches in dozens of facilities linked to the family business. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Euronews.
The General Prosecutor's Office of Armenia has initiated criminal prosecution against the 71-year-old politician. He is suspected of abuse of official powers, bribery and money laundering on an especially large scale.
In addition to Kocharyan and his son, four more people were detained as part of the investigation. In total, ten suspects are involved in the case. After the detention, the ex-president's health deteriorated and he was taken to hospital.
According to the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia, during Kocharyan's presidency from 1998 to 2008, state assets may have been illegally sold to private companies at below-market prices.
Former Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan is also involved in this case. In 2007-2008, he served as prime minister under Kocharyan, and then headed the country until 2018. Sargsyan is suspected of abuse of power or official authority. He was summoned to the headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Committee in Yerevan.
The searches took place less than a day after a spat between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the ex-president's younger son Levon Kocharyan in parliament.
Levon Kocharyan accused the head of government of pressuring courts and law enforcement agencies to open cases against individuals.
In response, Pashinyan asked about the origin of the Kocharyan family's wealth. He stated that assets acquired with state funds should be returned to the state.
Robert Kocharyan has already been a defendant in a criminal case. His trial began in 2019. The ex-president was accused of illegally using force against protesters after the 2008 presidential election. At least ten people died during the clashes. Later, the charges were dropped and the proceedings ended in 2021.
Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan, noted that Kocharyan's critics have for many years accused him of corruption while in power.
According to the political scientist, the new criminal case will intensify the confrontation between the pro-Russian opposition and Pashinyan's government, which is betting on rapprochement with the European Union.
"Of course, this is a signal to the Kremlin. Kocharyan actually positions himself as a conductor of Russia's interests, and we see a trend: the authorities have begun to fight - intensively and by all possible means - against political forces oriented toward Russia," Iskandaryan said.