Armenian state prosecutors detained former President Robert Kocharyan on Tuesday and formally charged him with corruption-related offences tied to his years in office. Prosecutors said he used his position from 1998 to 2008 to transfer state-owned property to himself and associates on advantageous terms and to conceal its criminal origin. Kocharyan has previously denied wrongdoing, and his lawyer was not immediately available to comment. The case comes as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces criticism over a broad crackdown on opposition figures, church leaders and civil society groups.
Robert Kocharyan / AFP-Yonhap
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.
