Committee Orders International Search for David Papazyan

The Inquiry Committee has announced that an international search will be initiated for David Papazyan, the former director of the State Interests Fund of Armenia (ANIF). The Committee has chosen pre-trial detention as the measure of restraint against him. This information was provided in response to a written inquiry from 'Hetq'.

It is worth noting that on August 15, the Prosecutor General's Office initiated public criminal proceedings against David Papazyan, Bella Manukyan, the former director of the Entrepreneur+State Anti-Crisis Investment Fund, and Karine Andreasian, the director of CFW LLC.

Criminal charges against David Papazyan have been made under three articles of the RA Criminal Code: forgery of documents (Article 457), large-scale money laundering (subsections 2 and 3 of Article 296, part 3), and abuse of official powers in the private sector (subsection 2 of Article 277, part 2).

From images posted on social media, it appears that Papazyan is currently in London.

Criminal proceedings for large-scale money laundering have also been initiated against Karine Andreasian, who has been restricted from leaving the country as a precautionary measure. Bella Manukyan has been released on bail and faces charges of forgery of documents and abuse of official powers.

The Inquiry Committee has not disclosed whether Tigran Avinyan, who served as the chairman of ANIF's board of directors from 2019 to 2023, has been questioned in this case.

“In order to ensure the normal course of the pre-trial proceedings, the investigating body does not find it expedient to publish other pre-investigation data at this phase,” the Inquiry Committee stated in their response.