By Ani Ghulinyan
Former President Robert Kocharyan has been placed in pre-trial detention for a period of two months. On Tuesday, August 25, Kocharyan, his son and four other individuals were arrested on charges of large-scale corruption during his time in office.
The Prosecutor General’s Office initiated criminal prosecution against Robert Kocharyan for abusing his official authority, accepting a particularly large bribe, and laundering particularly large sums of money. Criminal proceedings have also been initiated against nine other individuals, including Sedrak Kocharyan, former President Serzh Sargsyan, former Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, former Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan and others. Kocharyan’s son, Sedrak Kocharyan, was also placed into pre-trial detention for a two-month period on Wednesday.
A travel ban has been imposed as a preventive measure against Sargsyan after he was called to the Anti-Corruption Committee and released the same day.
On Tuesday, August 25, Kocharyan was taken to hospital after being transported from the Anti-Corruption Court. The hearing on the investigators’ motion to remand him in custody continued in his absence.
The arrest came a day after a heated discussion in parliament, during which Pashinyan told Levon Kocharyan, an opposition MP and one of Robert Kocharyan’s sons, that their family’s assets would be seized entirely as part of the new government’s plan to return illegally acquired state assets.
