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Pashinian Says Armenian Law Enforcement Not Targeting Sarkisian Family

RFE/RL's Armenian Service July 07, 2018

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is denying that any specific family is being targeted after a series of high-profile actions by law enforcement agencies against close relatives of the country's former president, Serzh Sarkisian.

Pashinian told RFE/RL on July 6 that the cases against Sarkisian family members are being pursued on their legal merits and are not "political" in nature.

"We are not going after anyone's family or individual. We follow alerts that law enforcement bodies receive as well as the information that they have," he said.

"Law must be respected in the country and law enforcement bodies should work effectively. Whatever happens within the framework of these two principles is not something that we plan, but is a matter that comes out of the realities," said Pashinian, who announced a crackdown on corruption after being elected prime minister on May 8.

On July 5, Armenia's Investigative Committee and National Security Service said in two separate statements that two nephews of Sarkisian, who left office under pressure from massive street protests orchestrated by Pashinian in April, were implicated in different crimes.

Hayk Sarkisian was named as a suspect in a reopened 2007 attempted murder case and Narek Sarkisian was named as a suspect wanted by police on suspicion of theft and illegal possession of weapons and drugs.

The law enforcement actions came after a search at the residence of Hayk's and Narek's father, Aleksandr Sarkisian, a controversial brother of the ex-president better known to the public as "Sashik."

A video of the search released by the National Security Service (NSS) late on July 6 showed large sums of money, expensive watches and artworks, numerous gold coins, and pieces of jewelry found at Aleksandr Sarkisian's apartment.

The NSS said the legality of the items is being checked as part of a criminal investigation.

Aleksandr Sarkisian is believed to have made a large fortune in the past two decades. Unconfirmed reports in the Armenian press have said that he spent millions of dollars buying real estate in Europe and the United States.

Meanwhile, the State Revenue Committee in late June launched a probe against another brother of the former president, Levon Sarkisian, and his two children on suspicion of "illegal enrichment" after law enforcement authorities discovered nearly $7 million held by them in a commercial bank.

Pashinian, who for years spoke about what he said was widespread government corruption as an opposition member, in his interview with RFE/RL stopped short of commenting on the evidence of possible corruption exposed by the criminal investigations.

He only said that he was shocked by the "cynicism" seen in some cases. Pashinian also denied that ex-president Sarkisian tried to contact him about the investigations of his relatives.

Sarkisian was president for 10 years and then moved to the newly empowered post of prime minister in mid-April. But he stepped down in less than a week after thousands of peaceful protesters led by Pashinian demanded change.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pashinian-says-armenian- law-enforcement-not-targeting-sarkisian-corruption-denies- political-prosecution/29348230.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.