By Arshaluys Barseghyan
Armenian authorities have said the Arinj shopping mall, owned by businessperson and opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan, has been shuttered after inspections identified safety violations. The closure is the latest in a series of measures affecting Tsarukyan’s businesses since his arrest earlier in July, with his team saying around 10,000 employees have been left unable to work.
On Thursday, July 23, the Investigative Committee said the decision followed a comprehensive forensic examination commissioned on June 5, 2025, the findings of which were received on June 10, 2026.
According to the committee, the 3.5-hectare site in the village of Arinj, Kotayk region, overlaps with the safety zone of a 110-kV high-voltage transmission line and also falls within the protective zone of the Yerevan–Abovyan railway. They also found that unauthorized structures, including the parking lot and part of the shopping pavilions, had been built within this area.
Investigators also said experts had concluded that the land had been transferred without complying with the legal requirements in force at the time.
According to RFE/RL, law enforcement officers sealed dozens of retail pavilions on Monday, July 20, when the market was closed for its regular day off. Tenants and employees said they had received no advance notice and only learned about the closures when they returned to work on July 21.
