Armeniaʼs Anti-Corruption Committee has detained six people, including former President Robert Kocharyan, his son, and others believed to be involved in criminal schemes.
This was reported by the press service of the countryʼs Anti-Corruption Committee.
According to the investigation, the ex-president, in collusion with people close to him, withdrew valuable property of social and economic importance from state ownership and purchased it at prices significantly lower than market prices.
To hide the true ownership and criminal origin of the property, it was registered in the names of related companies. Subsequently, the property was sold, transferred to third parties, or the shares of the owning companies were re-registered.
The investigation also says that in exchange for removing one of the properties from state ownership, the former president was given 56 real estate properties worth a total of 2.634 billion drams ($7.26 million) as a bribe. The properties were registered in the names of members of the former presidentʼs family and companies associated with them.
The investigation is also checking money transfers in the name of the former presidentʼs son in 2001-2019: almost 144 billion drams ($397 million), $309 million, €77 million and 18 million Russian rubles ($214 thousand). In addition, they are investigating the purchase of more than 30 real estate properties in Armenia and abroad belonging to the defendants in the case and their family members.
Other cases of Robert Kocharyan
Robert Kocharyan was the President of Armenia from 1998 to 2008. In 2008, the Armenian opposition, led by the first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who ran for president and lost, held rallies in central Yerevan against the results of the vote. The protests turned into riots and clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers, resulting in ten deaths and over 200 injuries.
At that time, former President Kocharyan and other defendants in the “March 1 case” were charged with overthrowing the constitutional order in Armenia. The case was closed in 2021.
In the second case, Kocharyan was accused of receiving a particularly large bribe ($3 million) from businessman Silva Hambardzumyan. This case was closed in 2023 due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
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