Tsarukyan Has Not Engaged in Entrepreneurship, Lawyer Says

The leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, Gagik Tsarukyan, has not engaged in entrepreneurship. This was stated by lawyer Emin Khachatryan in an interview with NEWS.am.

“Gagik Tsarukyan has not engaged in entrepreneurship; an investigation has been launched regarding an apparent violation. First, let’s note that the Anti-Corruption Committee has no other means, according to the law, than to initiate proceedings even if there is a report or a letter regarding the matter. In other words, there is no second option; there is no case of starting proceedings and then dismissing them, etc. Proceedings must be initiated, a proper investigation must be conducted, documents must be requested, clarifications must be sought, and as a result, an appropriate conclusion must be reached. Therefore, let’s state that initiating proceedings does not imply anything yet,” the lawyer said.

He noted that Tsarukyan owns several enterprises under his proprietary rights, which have been transferred to trustee management, with Sedrak Arustamyan serving as the director. Arustamyan is currently under preliminary detention for well-known reasons.

“In such conditions, managing the businesses owned by Mr. Tsarukyan becomes complicated, and problems arise. It is clear that Mr. Sedrak Arustamyan is unable to fulfill his duties properly due to being in detention. In this situation, Mr. Tsarukyan has simply appointed an acting director so that the normal functioning of the businesses is not disrupted. This means that he has not participated in the management of the businesses in any way, nor has he carried out any managerial functions. Salaries are being paid, taxes are being paid, contracts are being signed with partners on a daily basis. Naturally, Mr. Tsarukyan cannot carry out all these functions, and Sedrak Arustamyan, who is the manager, is in detention. The solution here is to change the director and the manager,” he stated.

Emin Khachatryan added that in any case, there is no legal basis to determine that Mr. Tsarukyan has committed any violations. Earlier, it was reported that on July 6, 2020, the Anti-Corruption Committee initiated proceedings against Gagik Tsarukyan based on an apparent violation of the incompatibility requirement.