00:00, 18 February 2019

Robert Kocharyan's son accused of money laundering

Robert Kocharyan. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman (BELGIUM)

Sedrak Kocharyan, the elder son of Robert Kocharyan, the former President of Armenia, has informed that he is under recognizance not to leave, because of charges of money laundering and tax evasion.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Robert Kocharyan was arrested on charges of financial crimes and overthrowing the constitutional order in connection with the dispersal of mass protests in Yerevan in March 2008. On February 12, he was also accused of large-scale bribe-taking.

Sedrak Kocharyan treats the case against him as fabricated. He has also stated that the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, "had focused on the Kocharyan family" since the time he worked as a journalist and an MP, noting that the charges against his father and himself have no grounds.

In December 2018, Arthur Vanetsyan, the head of the National Security Service (NSS), stated that Sedrak Kocharyan had been interrogated within the case of the purchase of the "Congress" Hotel. In last October, Mr Vanetsyan also claimed that the Kocharyan family purchased the hotel by giving a bribe of 6 million US dollars.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 18, 2019 at 05:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.