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Russia Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Yerevan court extends Russian-Armenian tycoon's arrest
A Yerevan court has extended the arrest of Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, a critic of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, by two months despite a recent ruling that found it unlawful. Karapetyan's legal team called Friday's decision by the anti-corruption court 'illogical,' and said it showed that 'there is no justice in Armenia.' The businessman's lawyer, Liana Gasparyan, said they plan to turn to the Criminal Court of Appeals and will continue the legal who leads the Moscow-based Tashir Group, was arrested in June on charges of inciting a power grab, linked to his support for the Armenian Apostolic Church. The church was active in protests after Prime Minister Pashinyan agreed to transfer border villages to Azerbaijan, a move that drew public backlash. As the situation intensified, authorities detained Karapetyan along with several high-ranking clerics on charges related to an attempted coup. Around the same time, the government began steps to nationalize his energy company, Electric Grids of Armenia. Karapetyan, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at $3.2 billion, won an international arbitration case in July when the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce ruled that the Armenian government must not confiscate his company. In response, officials in Yerevan said they would act according to domestic law. Karapetyan's family has reportedly filed a $500 million legal claim against the Armenian government in response to the nationalization of his company. Earlier this week, an appeals court ruled that Karapetyan's June arrest was unlawful. His lawyer said he was wrongfully held for more than nine hours and described the decision as further proof of violations in the case, calling the detention unjustified and said it is in contact with Armenia regarding Karapetyan's detention, noting that while it views the matter as Armenia's internal affair, it hopes the country stays prosperous, stable, and friendly toward legal team also thanked supporters who gathered at the courthouse. They added that his 'In Our Way' movement – a 'fundamentally new' political initiative unveiled in July – will officially launch at the end of August. They described the project as a new chapter in Armenia's political life.
OC Media
08-07-2025
- Business
- OC Media
Authorities raid Electric Networks of Armenia and home of Samvel Karapetyan's nephew
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member The Armenian authorities have raided the Electric Networks of Armenia, the country's sole electricity distributor, and the home of detained billionaire Samvel Karapetyan's nephew, Narek Karapetyan, who chairs the company, in an escalation of tensions between the government and Karapetyan. The raids took place on Tuesday morning, according to CivilNet, which cited the Investigative Committee as describing the raids as 'urgent investigative actions' by the Main Department for the Investigation of Economic Crimes and Smuggling and the committee. According to RFE/RL, the raid at ENA lasted for more than five hours, and Narek Karapetyan has stated that investigators seized 37 documents from the company. Narek Karapetyan, whose home was also raided by the authorities, was present at the company during the search. He had told reporters that he expected to be arrested by the end of the search. 'They will most likely arrest me, but I don't know yet what for, they will arrest me for one thing', he said, adding that he had been notified of the searches in advance, according to RFE/RL. As of publication, no reports have emerged indicating that Narek Karapetyan was detained. A lawyer working on behalf of the Karapetyans, Aram Vardevanyan, described the raids as a 'huge parade of illegal searches [ …] typical of legal terror'. Advertisement 'All of this has its component of political persecution, because everything started with the Facebook posts of 17 June, right up to the promise of retaliation', Vardevanyan said, referring to posts made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan the day Russian–Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan was detained on charges of making calls for the overthrow of the state. Prior to his arrest, the billionaire had made statements in an interview in support of the Armenian Church against the backdrop of its conflict with Pashinyan and the government. In response to the remarks made by Samvel Karapetyan, Pashinyan insulted both the Church and the billionaire on Facebook, vowing to 'deactivate them again. And forever'. Following the arrest, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan vowed to 'swiftly' nationalise ENA, which is run by Samvel Karapetyan's Tashir Group. On 2 July, The authorities raided Tashir Group's main office in Yerevan as part of a criminal investigation into allegations of 'aggravated money laundering, tax evasion, and failure to pay duties or other payments'. According to CivilNet, two people were arrested during the Tashir Group raid, with the Investigative Committee filing a petition to arrest two more and cases being launched against four others. Tuesday's raid of ENA followed the adoption of legislative amendments on 4 July that would virtually allow the state to nationalise the company. Pashinyan had previously claimed the move was not related to Karapetyan's pro-Church statements, and was instead rooted in public discontent with the company's services and frequent power outages in Armenia, which Pashinyan alleged were intentionally used 'to generate internal public discontent'. However, critics of the recent legislative amendments warn that the nationalisation of ENA could have consequences on the country's investment climate and foreign economic relations. The ENA raid is part of a broader conflict between the ruling Civil Contract party and the Armenian Church, which in late June resulted in the arrest of at least 15 people on charges of seeking to violently overthrow the government with a coup d'état. The authorities allege that the plot was spearheaded by the now-detained Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a high-profile opposition figure who leads the anti-government Holy Struggle movement.
OC Media
03-07-2025
- Politics
- OC Media
Authorities raid already detained Karapetyan's Tashir Group's headquarters
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Law enforcement agencies have raided the main office of Russian–Armenian tycoon Smvel Karapetyan's Tashir Group in Yerevan. The raid was carried out as part of a criminal investigation into allegations of 'aggravated money laundering, tax evasion, and failure to pay duties or other payments'. The authorities disclosed the criminal case under which the raids were conducted only hours after they began on Wednesday. According to RFE/RL, the searches lasted for six hours. The Investigative Committee did not clarify when the criminal proceedings were launched. Instead, Karapetyan's lawyer Ruben Hakobyan elaborated that the searches were done as part of three criminal proceedings, which according to him were launched in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Karapetyan has been under arrest since late June, accused of calls for usurpation of power. The charges were brought against him following remarks he had made in support of the church amidst ongoing tensions between the government and the church. 'If the politicians fail, then we will participate in our own way in all of this' Karapetyan said in an interview with on 17 June, prior to his arrest. On Wednesday, law enforcement officers refrained from commenting on what they had confiscated from the office after leaving the building with several bags. In turn, another of Karapetyan's lawyers, Armen Feroyan, stated that they confiscated computers and documents. Advertisement 'We believe this is a chain of illegalities that was predictable and I believe will continue', Feroyan said during a press briefing. Feroyan also said that they would appeal the court's decision on the raids while declining to provide additional details, citing the secrecy of the preliminary investigation. In a press briefing earlier on Wednesday morning before the raid took place, a third lawyer working on behalf of Karapetyan, Aram Vardevanyan, called the case against Karapetyan 'political persecution'. Armenia's Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan, according to Vardevanyan, personally filed a report to the Investigative Committee in connection with Karapetyan's remarks. 'I myself do not remember such a case where the Prosecutor General themselves filed a report, rather than instituting the prosecution', Vardevanyan said. He added that the Prosecutor General's report was not provided to them and it was unclear to them if Vardapetyan filed that report before or after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's 'Facebook justice'. Following Karapetyan's interview in mid-June, Pashinyan wrote a series of social media posts insulting both the Armenian Apostolic Church and Karapetyan, vowing to 'deactivate them again. And forever'. Weeks after Karapetyan's arrest, Pashinyan called for the establishment of mechanisms or the adoption of legislation that would limit the political activity of foreign nationals in Armenia. Following this, the ruling Civil Contract party introduced a draft statement on behalf of parliament, declaring the 'inadmissibility' of usurping power from the state. Karapetyan holds Russian citizenship and is a prominent businessperson who built his wealth in Russia. According to TASS, Karapetyan's fortune 'is almost comparable to half of the Armenian state budget', amounting to $3.2 billion.
The Advertiser
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Armenian billionaire faces regime change call charges
One of the richest men in Armenia has been arrested on charges of making public calls to seize power in the country illegally, his lawyer says as a feud between Armenia's prime minister and the country's dominant church intensifies. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has long had a tumultuous relationship with the Armenian Apostolic Church and billionaire Samvel Karapetyan now seems to have been caught up in it. Karapetyan, 59, was detained late on Tuesday night and appeared in front of a court in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Wednesday, according to Armen Feroyan, his lawyer. The lawyer said Karapetyan denied the charges against him. Karapetyan, who also holds Russian citizenship, owns the Tashir Group, a conglomerate that operates residential and commercial real estate as well as the Electric Networks of Armenia. Pashinyan, the prime minister, told journalists on Wednesday that the power company would be nationalised "soon" following Karapetyan's arrest. Before his arrest, Karapetyan said in video released on Tuesday that "a small group of people who have forgotten the thousand-year history of Armenia and the church" were attacking the religious institution. "I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people," the billionaire said. "If the politicians do not succeed, we will intervene in our own way in this campaign against the church." The remarks were seen as a jab at Pashinyan, who on June 8 called for the head of Armenia's church Catholicos Karekin II to resign after accusing him of fathering a child while under a vow of celibacy. At the time, the church released a statement accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's "spiritual unity" but did not address the claim about the child. Pashinyan responded, promising on Facebook to crack down on "depraved" members of the clergy and their benefactors. "He says 'we will intervene in our own way'," Pashinyan wrote, apparently citing Karapetyan. "Now I will intervene in my own way." Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister dismissed the head of the country's national security service Armen Abazyan. When asked by journalists if the move was linked to the billionaire's arrest, Pashinyan only said the security chief "deserved to rest a little" after a difficult tenure. One of the richest men in Armenia has been arrested on charges of making public calls to seize power in the country illegally, his lawyer says as a feud between Armenia's prime minister and the country's dominant church intensifies. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has long had a tumultuous relationship with the Armenian Apostolic Church and billionaire Samvel Karapetyan now seems to have been caught up in it. Karapetyan, 59, was detained late on Tuesday night and appeared in front of a court in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Wednesday, according to Armen Feroyan, his lawyer. The lawyer said Karapetyan denied the charges against him. Karapetyan, who also holds Russian citizenship, owns the Tashir Group, a conglomerate that operates residential and commercial real estate as well as the Electric Networks of Armenia. Pashinyan, the prime minister, told journalists on Wednesday that the power company would be nationalised "soon" following Karapetyan's arrest. Before his arrest, Karapetyan said in video released on Tuesday that "a small group of people who have forgotten the thousand-year history of Armenia and the church" were attacking the religious institution. "I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people," the billionaire said. "If the politicians do not succeed, we will intervene in our own way in this campaign against the church." The remarks were seen as a jab at Pashinyan, who on June 8 called for the head of Armenia's church Catholicos Karekin II to resign after accusing him of fathering a child while under a vow of celibacy. At the time, the church released a statement accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's "spiritual unity" but did not address the claim about the child. Pashinyan responded, promising on Facebook to crack down on "depraved" members of the clergy and their benefactors. "He says 'we will intervene in our own way'," Pashinyan wrote, apparently citing Karapetyan. "Now I will intervene in my own way." Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister dismissed the head of the country's national security service Armen Abazyan. When asked by journalists if the move was linked to the billionaire's arrest, Pashinyan only said the security chief "deserved to rest a little" after a difficult tenure. One of the richest men in Armenia has been arrested on charges of making public calls to seize power in the country illegally, his lawyer says as a feud between Armenia's prime minister and the country's dominant church intensifies. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has long had a tumultuous relationship with the Armenian Apostolic Church and billionaire Samvel Karapetyan now seems to have been caught up in it. Karapetyan, 59, was detained late on Tuesday night and appeared in front of a court in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Wednesday, according to Armen Feroyan, his lawyer. The lawyer said Karapetyan denied the charges against him. Karapetyan, who also holds Russian citizenship, owns the Tashir Group, a conglomerate that operates residential and commercial real estate as well as the Electric Networks of Armenia. Pashinyan, the prime minister, told journalists on Wednesday that the power company would be nationalised "soon" following Karapetyan's arrest. Before his arrest, Karapetyan said in video released on Tuesday that "a small group of people who have forgotten the thousand-year history of Armenia and the church" were attacking the religious institution. "I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people," the billionaire said. "If the politicians do not succeed, we will intervene in our own way in this campaign against the church." The remarks were seen as a jab at Pashinyan, who on June 8 called for the head of Armenia's church Catholicos Karekin II to resign after accusing him of fathering a child while under a vow of celibacy. At the time, the church released a statement accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's "spiritual unity" but did not address the claim about the child. Pashinyan responded, promising on Facebook to crack down on "depraved" members of the clergy and their benefactors. "He says 'we will intervene in our own way'," Pashinyan wrote, apparently citing Karapetyan. "Now I will intervene in my own way." Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister dismissed the head of the country's national security service Armen Abazyan. When asked by journalists if the move was linked to the billionaire's arrest, Pashinyan only said the security chief "deserved to rest a little" after a difficult tenure. One of the richest men in Armenia has been arrested on charges of making public calls to seize power in the country illegally, his lawyer says as a feud between Armenia's prime minister and the country's dominant church intensifies. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has long had a tumultuous relationship with the Armenian Apostolic Church and billionaire Samvel Karapetyan now seems to have been caught up in it. Karapetyan, 59, was detained late on Tuesday night and appeared in front of a court in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Wednesday, according to Armen Feroyan, his lawyer. The lawyer said Karapetyan denied the charges against him. Karapetyan, who also holds Russian citizenship, owns the Tashir Group, a conglomerate that operates residential and commercial real estate as well as the Electric Networks of Armenia. Pashinyan, the prime minister, told journalists on Wednesday that the power company would be nationalised "soon" following Karapetyan's arrest. Before his arrest, Karapetyan said in video released on Tuesday that "a small group of people who have forgotten the thousand-year history of Armenia and the church" were attacking the religious institution. "I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people," the billionaire said. "If the politicians do not succeed, we will intervene in our own way in this campaign against the church." The remarks were seen as a jab at Pashinyan, who on June 8 called for the head of Armenia's church Catholicos Karekin II to resign after accusing him of fathering a child while under a vow of celibacy. At the time, the church released a statement accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's "spiritual unity" but did not address the claim about the child. Pashinyan responded, promising on Facebook to crack down on "depraved" members of the clergy and their benefactors. "He says 'we will intervene in our own way'," Pashinyan wrote, apparently citing Karapetyan. "Now I will intervene in my own way." Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister dismissed the head of the country's national security service Armen Abazyan. When asked by journalists if the move was linked to the billionaire's arrest, Pashinyan only said the security chief "deserved to rest a little" after a difficult tenure.
Perth Now
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Armenian billionaire faces regime change call charges
One of the richest men in Armenia has been arrested on charges of making public calls to seize power in the country illegally, his lawyer says as a feud between Armenia's prime minister and the country's dominant church intensifies. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has long had a tumultuous relationship with the Armenian Apostolic Church and billionaire Samvel Karapetyan now seems to have been caught up in it. Karapetyan, 59, was detained late on Tuesday night and appeared in front of a court in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Wednesday, according to Armen Feroyan, his lawyer. The lawyer said Karapetyan denied the charges against him. Karapetyan, who also holds Russian citizenship, owns the Tashir Group, a conglomerate that operates residential and commercial real estate as well as the Electric Networks of Armenia. Pashinyan, the prime minister, told journalists on Wednesday that the power company would be nationalised "soon" following Karapetyan's arrest. Before his arrest, Karapetyan said in video released on Tuesday that "a small group of people who have forgotten the thousand-year history of Armenia and the church" were attacking the religious institution. "I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people," the billionaire said. "If the politicians do not succeed, we will intervene in our own way in this campaign against the church." The remarks were seen as a jab at Pashinyan, who on June 8 called for the head of Armenia's church Catholicos Karekin II to resign after accusing him of fathering a child while under a vow of celibacy. At the time, the church released a statement accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's "spiritual unity" but did not address the claim about the child. Pashinyan responded, promising on Facebook to crack down on "depraved" members of the clergy and their benefactors. "He says 'we will intervene in our own way'," Pashinyan wrote, apparently citing Karapetyan. "Now I will intervene in my own way." Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister dismissed the head of the country's national security service Armen Abazyan. When asked by journalists if the move was linked to the billionaire's arrest, Pashinyan only said the security chief "deserved to rest a little" after a difficult tenure.
