By Lucy Papachristou
Aug 25 (Reuters) –
State prosecutors in Armenia on Tuesday detained Robert Kocharyan, a prominent opposition leader and a former president, and formally charged him with a slew of corruption-related offences during his time in office.
Armenia’s prosecutor general said in a statement that Kocharyan, who served as president from 1998 to 2008, had used his then-official position to transfer state-owned property to himself and his associates at “advantageous terms”, and to conceal the “criminal origin” of that property.
It was not immediately clear how Kocharyan, who has criticised the government for moving away from traditional ally Russia, responded to the accusations, though he has previously denied any wrongdoing during his time in office.
Aram Orbelyan, a lawyer for Kocharyan, was not in an immediate position to reply to a request for comment.
Since winning re-election in June, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has pursued what his critics view as a wide-ranging crackdown on his fiercest opponents, including opposition politicians, church leaders and civil society groups.
The head of Armenia’s church is currently on trial in a case the church maintains is politicised, while two other leading opposition figures, Gagik Tsarukyan and Samvel Karapetyan, are being held in pre-trial detention and under house arrest, respectively, ahead of pending trials.
CHANGING POLICY TOWARDS RUSSIA
Under Pashinyan, who swept to power following street protests in 2018, Armenia has moved closer to the West and distanced itself from Russia, which has a major military base inside the South Caucasus country.
During his own presidency, Kocharyan advocated for warm ties between Yerevan and Moscow – a major supplier of energy to the landlocked country – and he has been vocally critical of Pashinyan’s policies towards Russia.
The recent government crackdown has particularly targeted those viewed as being pro-Russian.
Armenian prosecutors said they had charged Kocharyan, 71, with money laundering, receiving bribes and abuse of power. Nine other individuals, including one of his sons, were also charged in connection with the alleged scheme.
Kocharyan is the leader of the Armenia Alliance, the second-largest opposition bloc in parliament. He was previously arrested and put on trial in 2019 for his conduct following a disputed election in March 2008 when at least 10 people were killed in clashes between police and protesters. The charges were later dropped and the trial ended in 2021.
(Reporting by Lucy PapachristouEditing by Andrew Osborn and Louise Heavens)
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