Prosecutor General: More Than 90 Lawsuits Filed for Seizure of Property of Illegal Origin Valued at More than $ 1.25 Billion

YEREVAN — More than 90 lawsuits have been filed within the process of seizing property of illegal origin, the value of which is estimated at more than 510 billion drams ($1.25 Billion), Armenian Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan said on Wednesday.

“This is not final data, as not all the property recognized as illegal has been assessed at market value. The number of lawsuits will also increase because the investigation lasts for a maximum of three years based on allegations of corruption risks or information provided by an operational body,” Vardapetyan told the Public Television.

She also confirmed that there are lawsuits filed against the families of former president Robert Kocharyan and former finance minister Gagik Khachatryan, without giving specific details, saying only that large assets are involved.

Vardapetyan also said that charges have been brought this year for “laundering” 3.5 billion drams obtained as a result of drug trafficking.

“Criminal prosecution has been initiated against 172 people compared to 115 last year. Twice as many cases were referred to courts: 75 versus 32 cases for the whole 2022,” Vardapetyan said.

According to her, the Criminal Code’s article on “money laundering” has become associated with drug trafficking as it is traded through TG channels using e-wallets and cryptocurrency.