New Public Criminal Prosecution Against Gagik Tsarukyan

Recently, one media outlet reported that Gagik Tsarukyan's lawyers were taken aback because "a previously closed criminal case from 2018-19 against Tsarukyan’s sekt (border electronic management information system) was re-opened to prevent him from leaving for Russia and to slow down the electoral process." This information was conveyed by Haykakan Jamanak.

What is clear now? On June 5, 2024, criminal proceedings were initiated, and within those proceedings, the prosecutor initiated public criminal prosecution against Gagik Tsarukyan on October 27, 2025, under Article 507, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (failure to execute a court decision).

In response to a request from Haykakan Jamanak, the Prosecutor General's Office informed that the Department for Seizing Illegally Acquired Property of the Prosecutor General's Office had submitted its preliminary findings regarding the property belonging to Gagik Tsarukyan to the Anti-Corruption Court on August 4, 2023. This was in connection with a motion for provisional measures regarding the initiation of a suit for the seizure of illegally acquired property.

With this motion, the Prosecutor General's Office requested the court, among other things, to prohibit Gagik Tsarukyan and his wife from any actions regarding the 98.03 percent share of the company "Gorna Banya Bottling Company Ltd," registered in the Republic of Bulgaria. The court granted the Prosecutor's motion, prohibiting any actions related to the management of this share. The notification was personally delivered to Gagik Tsarukyan on August 24, 2023.

An inquiry for legal assistance has been sent to the Republic of Bulgaria. In response to the inquiry, a court ruling from the Sofia District Court was provided, which noted, among other things, that on March 15, 2024 (ten days before the appeal by the competent prosecutor of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Sofia District Court), Gagik Tsarukyan and his wife sold the shares of "Gorna Banya Bottling Company Ltd" for 23 million 850 thousand euros through an authorized representative. Therefore, Gagik Tsarukyan and his wife disposed of property whose alienation had been prohibited by the order of the Anti-Corruption Court in case number HACD/0041/03/23, dated August 10, 2023.

A travel ban has been imposed on Gagik Tsarukyan as a precautionary measure. It is also worth noting that Gagik Tsarukyan's son, Nver Tsarukyan, also holds the status of a defendant. Within the framework of the criminal proceedings being investigated by the Investigative Committee, the prosecutor initiated public criminal prosecution against Nver Tsarukyan on November 2, 2024, under the second part of points 1 and 2 of Article 46-253 (inciting robbery by damaging property intended for the preservation of a group of people), the third part of Article 297 (hooliganism with the use of weapons), and the first part of Article 335 (illegal possession and carrying of firearms).

The court has chosen detention as a preventive measure for Nver Tsarukyan, and an international wanted notice has been issued for him.