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A court in Yerevan ordered the eldest son of former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan held in pretrial detention on Wednesday, expanding a sweeping corruption investigation that has ensnared the former leader and several high-ranking ex-officials.
The decision to hold Sedrak Kocharyan for two months followed his detention on Tuesday alongside his father. Investigators carried out coordinated raids on family-linked real estate and commercial holdings, escalating a long-running political battle between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the country's former ruling elite.
Lawyers for the younger Kocharyan said they would appeal the ruling, with defense attorney Alexander Kochubayev describing the case as an "extralegal prosecution" driven by political motives.
Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee stated that the elder Kocharyan, who served as president from 1998 to 2008, used his office to acquire state property at artificially low prices and accept substantial bribes. Officials said several prime parcels of land were improperly funneled to the family and later developed into commercial ventures.
Investigators are scrutinizing financial wire transfers to Sedrak Kocharyan between 2001 and 2019 totaling approximately 144 billion drams (about $392 million), $309 million, 77 million euros, and 18 million rubles.
Authorities detained six people in connection with the probe. Tax officials simultaneously sealed the offices of Toyota Yerevan and Orange Fitness, two businesses linked to the family, as part of a parallel tax-evasion inquiry.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said criminal proceedings were initiated on Aug. 24 against the former president for abuse of power, bribery, and large-scale money laundering. Nine others were also named, including former President Serzh Sargsyan—who also previously served as defense minister—a former prime minister, a former mayor of Yerevan, and a prominent businessman.
Following his arrest, the former president’s office reported that his health had deteriorated at the Anti-Corruption Committee’s headquarters, requiring emergency medical attention following a recent medical procedure. His office characterized the arrests as "another assault by the authorities."
The legal actions came shortly after a fiery clash in parliament between Prime Minister Pashinyan and the former president’s younger son, Levon Kocharyan, an opposition lawmaker whose home was also searched.
In parliament, Levon Kocharyan accused the prime minister of exerting improper political pressure on the judiciary. Pashinyan countered by questioning the origins of the family's wealth, promising that assets acquired at public expense would be returned to the state "piece by piece."
Ex-President Kocharyan previously faced charges of "overthrowing the constitutional order" linked to a deadly crackdown on post-election protests in Yerevan in 2008. Armenia’s Constitutional Court ruled in 2021 that the legal provision used in that case could not be applied retroactively, leading to the dismissal of those charges.
Former President Serzh Sargsyan, who succeeded Kocharyan in 2008 and is also facing criminal prosecution in the same case, was summoned to the Anti-Corruption Committee headquarters in Yerevan on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters outside the building, Sargsyan said he did not yet know the specific reason for the summons.
“When we receive the case materials, we will talk. I don’t understand anything,” he said.
Sargsyan was placed under a travel ban on Wednesday.
