Gagik Tsarukyan Faces Tax Evasion Charges Days After Election Loss

Armenian authorities have launched a criminal case against opposition politician and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, just days after his party narrowly failed to secure representation in parliament following the country's closely watched parliamentary elections.

Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Monday that public criminal prosecution had been initiated against Tsarukyan under a provision of the Criminal Code related to tax evasion on an especially large scale.

Prosecutors said a travel ban has been imposed as a preventive measure while the investigation proceeds.

The development comes during heightened political tensions following Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election, in which Tsarukyan’s opposition Prosperous Armenia Party fell just short of the 4% threshold required to enter parliament.

Earlier in the day, Armenian media reported that Tsarukyan was prevented from leaving the country through Zvartnots International Airport. Photographs published by local outlets appeared to show the opposition leader at the airport on June 9.

Responding to the reports, Prosperous Armenia spokeswoman and parliamentary candidate Iveta Tonoyan said Tsarukyan had planned a short family trip abroad with his wife for personal reasons.

According to Tonoyan, airport officials informed Tsarukyan that additional clarification was required regarding his departure. She said he responded that there was nothing to clarify and chose to cancel the trip rather than create grounds for speculation.

In a statement posted on social media, Tonoyan criticized what she described as politically motivated reporting by pro-government media outlets and rejected suggestions that Tsarukyan had attempted to evade authorities.

The legal action comes one day after Prosperous Armenia requested a recount of the parliamentary election results. Preliminary figures released by the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia showed the party receiving approximately 3.9% of the vote, narrowly missing the threshold required for parliamentary representation.

Tsarukyan, one of Armenia’s most prominent businessmen and longtime political figures, has led Prosperous Armenia for more than a decade and has remained a significant player in the country’s opposition politics despite fluctuating electoral fortunes.

The story is developing…

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