Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Son Arrested Over Corruption Charges

Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, was arrested Tuesday with his eldest son on corruption-related charges. Four others were detained following a raid on the Kocharyan family businesses.

The Prosecutor General's Office initiated the investigation into Robert and Sedrak Kocharyan and filed charges of abuse of authority, bribery and large-scale money laundering. The cases stemmed from the alleged sale of state properties during Kocharyan's time in office, from 1998 to 2008.

Is Kocharyan's Arrest Politically Motivated?

The former president's political party decried the arrest: 'The unlawful actions being carried out against Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the Armenia Alliance, and members of his family are yet another cynical manifestation of a regime that has lost its legitimacy and maintains hold on power exclusively through illegal means.'

Kocharyan founded the Armenia Alliance, also referred to as the Hayastan Alliance, in 2021. It has since become one of the country's biggest opposition blocs. The alliance is openly pro-Russia, while the current administration has pursued closer ties with Western partners.

'This is not a legal process. It is the open subordination of the state apparatus to one individual's political fears and desire for revenge. The security operations launched immediately after threats issued from the parliamentary podium demonstrate one thing: having accepted every external demand, the ruling regime has adopted a policy of isolating the opposition and eliminating every possible center of resistance,' the Armenia Alliance continued its statement.

The party also added: 'By staging cheap spectacles for its own electorate, the current government is also attempting to deepen the climate of fear within society.'

Argument at Parliament

The arrest happened a day after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Kocharyan's youngest son Levon had a bitter argument in parliament. Levon Kocharyan is an opposition MP under Hayastan.

The heated exchange started during a discussion on a five-year policy program. According to reports, Levon accused Pashinyan of being the reason Armenia lost Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Azerbaijan. It was Pashinyan who signed the agreement recognising Azerbaijan's authority over the formerly disputed territory in 2022.

The accusation angered Pashinyan, who then questioned Levon and his family's wealth. 'Why is your family a millionaire?' the Prime Minister asked. 'Where did you get that wealth from? You mean to say that your millions will be inherited by your children and your children to their children ... I'm telling you straight up that it won't happen.'

Levon replied: 'The court should decide what should be returned to whom, not the country's top official.'

According to Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee, Robert Kocharyan is accused of abusing his powers by selling state-owned assets at undervalued prices. His son, Sedrak, was charged for allegedly assisting his father in the transactions. The four individuals arrested with the Kocharyans were former chief executives of the family businesses.

Following his arrest, Kocharyan was rushed to the hospital in Yerevan after reportedly feeling ill while in detention. Local reports said he was suffering from high blood pressure. The former president will turn 72 on 31 August.

Kocharyan was previously tried in 2019 for the 2008 Armenian presidential election protests that resulted in 10 deaths. Kocharyan was accused of ordering illegal use of security force. The case was dismissed in 2021 after the court ruled the charges as unconstitutional.