Central Election Commission of Armenia has approved the criminal prosecution of Robert Kocharyan
17.06.2026,
22:25
On Wednesday, the Central Election Commission of Armenia granted the Prosecutor General's Office's petition to strip the immunity of Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the Armenia bloc and second President of Armenia, and initiate criminal proceedings, the former president's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, told reporters after the conclusion of the Central Election Commission's session.
YEREVAN, June 17. /ARKA/. On Wednesday, the Central Election Commission of Armenia granted the Prosecutor General's Office's petition to strip the immunity of Robert Kocharyan, the leader of the Armenia bloc and second President of Armenia, and initiate criminal proceedings, the former president's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, told reporters after the conclusion of the Central Election Commission's session.
He clarified that Kocharyan will be charged with abuse of office and money laundering.
Earlier, Orbelyan told reporters that the prosecutor's office's petition is related to a transaction concluded in 2004 during Kocharyan's presidency and approved by the Armenian government. According to the lawyer, this transaction was never contested, and Robert Kocharyan himself and his family members had no connection to it.
"Later, in 2008, when Robert Kocharyan was no longer holding public office, his son Sedrak Kocharyan acquired a stake in this company, paying a significant sum. And now they're somehow trying to connect this to the 2004 deal. This concerns the land of the Master Klass tennis club," Orbelyan said.
According to the lawyer, the land was leased, after which the lessee began developing the area with his own funds, but in 2008, he encountered financial difficulties. Seeking investment, an offer was made, among others, to Sedrak Kocharyan, who subsequently participated in the project.
About Robert Kocharyan
Kocharyan is the leader of the opposition political bloc "Armenia," which received 9.923% of the vote (12 seats in the future parliament) in the June 7 parliamentary elections.
The former president heads the political force's election list and, as a registered candidate, is entitled to the guarantees provided by law. Thus, the Central Election Commission's consent is required to initiate criminal proceedings against him.
Previously, criminal cases were opened against Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, on charges of overthrowing the constitutional order in connection with the events of March 1, 2008, and accepting a bribe on an especially large scale. Subsequently, the criminal prosecution in the first case was dropped following a Constitutional Court ruling (deeming the applicable article unconstitutional), and in the second, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
He clarified that Kocharyan will be charged with abuse of office and money laundering.
Earlier, Orbelyan told reporters that the prosecutor's office's petition is related to a transaction concluded in 2004 during Kocharyan's presidency and approved by the Armenian government. According to the lawyer, this transaction was never contested, and Robert Kocharyan himself and his family members had no connection to it.
"Later, in 2008, when Robert Kocharyan was no longer holding public office, his son Sedrak Kocharyan acquired a stake in this company, paying a significant sum. And now they're somehow trying to connect this to the 2004 deal. This concerns the land of the Master Klass tennis club," Orbelyan said.
According to the lawyer, the land was leased, after which the lessee began developing the area with his own funds, but in 2008, he encountered financial difficulties. Seeking investment, an offer was made, among others, to Sedrak Kocharyan, who subsequently participated in the project.
About Robert Kocharyan
Kocharyan is the leader of the opposition political bloc "Armenia," which received 9.923% of the vote (12 seats in the future parliament) in the June 7 parliamentary elections.
The former president heads the political force's election list and, as a registered candidate, is entitled to the guarantees provided by law. Thus, the Central Election Commission's consent is required to initiate criminal proceedings against him.
Previously, criminal cases were opened against Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, on charges of overthrowing the constitutional order in connection with the events of March 1, 2008, and accepting a bribe on an especially large scale. Subsequently, the criminal prosecution in the first case was dropped following a Constitutional Court ruling (deeming the applicable article unconstitutional), and in the second, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
