Armenian Court Orders Former President Robert Kocharyan Detained for Two Months in Corruption Case

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court ordered former President Robert Kocharyan held in pretrial detention for two months early Thursday, Aug. 27, in a corruption case involving allegations of bribery, money laundering and the acquisition of state property while he was in office.

The decision came after a hearing that began Wednesday evening and continued for hours. Judge S. Dadoyan granted investigators’ request to detain Kocharyan, according to the Anti-Corruption Committee.

Kocharyan, who served as Armenia’s second president from 1998 to 2008, was detained Aug. 25 as investigators carried out searches at businesses belonging to or linked to his family.

His eldest son, Sedrak Kocharyan, was also ordered held for two months in a separate court decision early Wednesday. Sedrak Kocharyan is not active in politics. His younger brother, Levon Kocharyan, is a member of parliament with the opposition Armenia Alliance faction.

A lawyer for Sedrak Kocharyan called his detention an “extrajudicial persecution” with a political motive.

The arrests followed a heated exchange in parliament Monday between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Levon Kocharyan, who accused the government of exerting political pressure on courts and investigative agencies.

Levon Kocharyan told Pashinyan that a prime minister could not decide who should be imprisoned or stripped of property.

Pashinyan responded by challenging the source of the family’s wealth.

“Why are you a millionaire? How did you become a millionaire? How did your family become millionaires?” Pashinyan said.

He went further, saying the Kocharyan family should return its property to the state.

“You will have to return everything, piece by piece, to the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said. “And yes, that is my political mission, my demand and the obligation I have undertaken before the people.”

Early the following morning, law enforcement officers entered Levon Kocharyan’s apartment and took Robert Kocharyan to the Anti-Corruption Committee. Investigators also began searches and other investigative actions at several businesses connected to the family.

Kocharyan’s political allies have accused Pashinyan’s government of directing the case and have pointed to the timing of the investigation, which intensified within hours of the confrontation in parliament.

What prosecutors allege

The Anti-Corruption Committee says the investigation centers on transactions dating to Kocharyan’s presidency.

Investigators allege Kocharyan used his position as president to transfer valuable properties out of state ownership and acquire them at prices substantially below market value.

Authorities are also investigating allegations that Kocharyan received bribes and later placed properties and stakes in companies under the names of members of his family.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has initiated criminal proceedings against Kocharyan on charges of abuse of official authority, receiving a particularly large bribe and money laundering.

The detention order means Kocharyan will remain in custody while the criminal case proceeds. His political team has rejected the case as politically motivated.

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