On August 25, Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, and his eldest son, Sedrak, were detained. Security forces are simultaneously conducting searches at several dozen addresses linked to the Kocharyan family. Investigators allege a scheme to illegally seize state property and then conceal its origins.

According to the independent Armenian publication Hetq, Kocharyan and his son were taken to the Anti-Corruption Committee this morning. Searches are underway, including at premises and companies linked to the family, including a Toyota dealership and the Orange fitness club. Security forces also visited the home of the former president's youngest son, Member of Parliament Levon Kocharyan.

The Anti-Corruption Committee later reported that six people had been detained in connection with the criminal investigation. According to CivilNet, investigators believe that Kocharyan, while president from 1998 to 2008, and his associates abused his official position to obtain state-owned real estate at prices significantly below market value. Investigators believe the assets were then registered to affiliated companies and relatives, resold, or transferred to other individuals.

The case materials include several large properties.
According to data published by CivilNet, citing the Anti-Corruption Committee, 8.3 hectares of land on Acharyan and Tsarav Aghbyur Streets were acquired for approximately 45 million drams. The Play City entertainment complex was later built on this land, and half of the company's stake was transferred to Kocharyan's son.

Another incident concerns two hectares of land near the Cascade complex. Investigators claim the plot was initially purchased for approximately 40 million drams, after which it was exchanged for another state-owned plot in a more advantageous part of Yerevan. It was subsequently sold for 1.742 billion drams.

The case also involves a state-owned plot of land in the Tsitsernakaberd district, where the Orange Fitness fitness club later opened. According to investigators, the 29,000 square meters of land and the building located on it were purchased for more than 12 million drams, and half of the company's shares subsequently ended up in the name of a company created by Kocharyan's son.

A separate incident concerns the Kaputak Sevan resort complex in the Gegharkunik region. Investigators claim it was purchased for approximately 84 million drams, and half of the company's shares were later registered in the name of Sedrak Kocharyan.

The largest of the incidents described concerns the "House of Officers" building in central Yerevan. According to investigators, in exchange for the state transfer of a building and an unfinished facility on Nalbandyan Street to the Piazza Grande company, Kocharyan subsequently received 56 properties worth approximately 2.63 billion drams. These properties, according to investigators, were registered through family members and related organizations to conceal the real owner.

Another incident concerns land owned by the Armenian Ministry of Defense on Admiral Isakov Avenue. According to investigators, the plots, with a total market value of approximately 1.394 billion drams, were sold to a company affiliated with Kocharyan's circle for approximately four times less. In exchange, investigators claim, Kocharyan received a 30% stake in Toyota Yerevan, which was formally registered to his son.

Investigators are also looking into Sedrak Kocharyan's financial transactions. According to the Anti-Corruption Committee, the transfers involved between 2001 and 2019 totaled approximately 144 billion drams, $309 million, €77 million, and 18 million rubles. Law enforcement officials are also investigating the acquisition of more than three dozen properties in Armenia and abroad linked to the defendants and their relatives.

According to Factor, the prosecutor's office opened a public criminal investigation against Robert Kocharyan on August 24. He is charged with three counts of abuse of office, two counts of accepting a bribe on an especially large scale, and four counts of money laundering. Nine other individuals, including the eldest son of former president Sedrak Kocharyan, have also been charged in the same case.

Kocharyan's defense team disputes the charges. His lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, told reporters that the charges are related to government decisions that Kocharyan approved during his presidency. According to the defense attorney, the actions alleged against the former president, in his opinion, do not comply with the article of the Criminal Code under which he is charged.

Kocharyan was initially scheduled to be brought to court for a decision on his pretrial detention. The attorney told CivilNet that the defense is awaiting a motion from the investigation for his arrest. Therefore, at this point, the issue is precisely one of detention, not a court order for his arrest.