Investigation into Serzh Sargsyan's Case Concluded
According to Factinfo, the Special Investigative Service has completed the investigation into the case of the third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. There are several other defendants in the criminal case, including former Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan and businessman Vahagn Beglaryan, the owner of 'Flash' company. The investigative body has given the parties time to familiarize themselves with the case.
In response to a media inquiry, the Special Investigative Service promised to provide further comments later.
The Special Investigative Service announced the charges against Serzh Sargsyan on December 4, 2019. According to the official statement, while holding the presidency, he used his official position to organize a large-scale embezzlement scheme in 2013, resulting in the misappropriation of 489,160,310 AMD from the state by a group of officials.
He was charged under part 3 of point 1 of Article 38-179 of the Armenian Criminal Code, and as a preventive measure, a signature bond was chosen to ensure he does not leave.
The Republican Party of Armenia announced that Serzh Sargsyan is being subjected to political persecution, while his legal team stated that his functional immunity has not been lifted and has appealed the decision to involve him as a defendant both to the prosecutor's office and to the court.