The Investigative Committee told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that Karapetian is now also accused of large-scale fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. It gave no details of the accusations.
Karapetian’s legal team decried them as baseless and politically motivated earlier in the day. It said the new criminal case does not cite any “concrete action” taken by the tycoon.
Investigators filed similar accusations against 11 executives of companies owned by Karapetian after raiding their offices in Yerevan on July 8. Five of them were arrested pending investigation.
The raids followed Karapetian’s pledge to fight for regime change made to thousands of people who demonstrated in his support on July 4. The 59-year-old tycoon, who has lived in Russia since the 1990s and also has a dual Russian nationality, announced on Monday the start of “the formation of our political team” in another statement issued from prison.
Armenia’s leading opposition groups hailed the development. They said it could redraw the country’s political landscape ahead of the next parliamentary elections due in June 2026.
Karapetian was arrested and charged with calling for a violent regime change on June 18 hours after condemning Pashinian’s attempts to depose the top clergy of the Armenian Church. The condemnation immediately provoked a series of furious social media posts by Pashinian.
“Now I will interfere with you in my own way, you scoundrel,” the premier wrote shortly before Karapetian was arrested and indicted.
Karapetian’s lawyers as well as opposition leaders have portrayed Pashinian’s comments as clear evidence that he ordered the tycoon’s prosecution for political reasons.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Pashinian effectively admitted the connection between the crackdown and Karapetian’s rhetoric and said that “the taste of the state will remain in his mouth for a long time.” The Armenian-born billionaire, he said, must give up his Russian citizenship before engaging in political activities in Armenia.
“How can a person engage in political activities in the Republic of Armenia if he cannot be a candidate for parliament deputy or prime minister?” added Pashinian.