AZE.US
Armenian authorities have launched a new criminal case against Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia party and a political rival of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Tsarukyan is already being held in pretrial detention in connection with a separate investigation.
His attorney, Emin Khachatryan, said the new case was opened under Article 290 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, which covers evasion of taxes, duties or other mandatory payments.
According to the defense, the investigation concerns the operations of a cognac factory.
Khachatryan said Tsarukyan was not involved in managing the company. He argued that the politician transferred his business assets into trust management after first being elected to parliament in 2003 and has not participated in the companies’ day-to-day operations since then.
Investigators conducted two confrontations during questioning at Armenia’s Investigative Committee. Two Iranian brothers appeared as witnesses in the case.
Khachatryan said the men arrived for questioning with suitcases, which the defense interpreted as an indication that they intended to leave Armenia afterward.
Tsarukyan is already charged in a separate case involving alleged fraud and money laundering. A court ordered him held for two months on July 7.
Investigators allege that Tsarukyan and several suspected accomplices misappropriated more than $21 million through imports of fuel and other goods from Iran.
Tsarukyan has rejected the accusations and described the case as politically fabricated.
Following his detention, law enforcement officers sealed businesses linked to the opposition politician. On July 6, Armenia’s Investigative Committee searched Tsarukyan’s home and approximately 70 other locations.
In this year’s parliamentary election, Prosperous Armenia received 3.996% of the vote and failed to enter parliament.
The party later announced plans to challenge the Central Election Commission’s decision to invalidate ballots cast at two polling stations.
AZE.US