Samvel Karapetyan Refuses to Testify: Investigative Committee

The President of Tashir Group, Samvel Karapetyan, has declined to appear before the investigative body. This was stated today, December 2, in an interview with NEWS.am by the acting head of the Public Relations and Information Department of the RA Investigative Committee, Naira Harutyunyan.

It is noteworthy that the case concerns a conflict between Samvel Karapetyan's nephew, Narek Karapetyan, and businessman Vahe Parazyan. Naira Harutyunyan noted that a notification was sent to the businessman regarding his summons for questioning, but Karapetyan stated that he is currently in the Russian Federation and cannot attend, adding that he wishes to exercise his constitutional right and has refused to testify.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported that Narek Karapetyan, having reached a preliminary agreement with his friend to extort a particularly large sum of money, resorted to violence on July 3, 2019, at around 19:30 on Alek Manukyan Street in Yerevan, against a 30-year-old man. Subsequently, on the same day, at around 22:30, he met with the same individual in one of Yerevan's cafes and demanded payment of a particularly large sum of money.

After being refused, the 28-year-old youth called the victim and invited him to meet at a restaurant in Yerevan. During the meeting, which was also attended by other individuals, the youth continued to demand the particularly large sum of money, threatening violence against the victim and his family members, and used force against the 30-year-old man and his friend who came to the meeting.

Narek Karapetyan and his friend have been charged under Article 182, Part 3, Subparagraph 2 of the RA Criminal Code, which pertains to extortion of particularly large sums of money.

Businessman Vahe Parazyan has leveled accusations against Samvel Karapetyan, claiming that he has stolen their business. According to the businessman, Karapetyan used his connections with law enforcement agencies in Russia to bankrupt his competitors, forcing them to emigrate to Armenia. Parazyan states that the Karapetyans have even found him in Armenia and presented him with a bill of 10 million euros.

The Prosecutor's Office had ordered the questioning of Samvel Karapetyan in the criminal case being investigated by the Investigative Committee. Narek Karapetyan also denied his involvement in any such incident in an interview with the media, stating that the accusations against him are fabrications.