Business tycoon Samvel Karapetyan faces criminal charges

Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan’s lawyer has revealed that his client is facing criminal charges of making public calls for usurping power.

Attorney Armen Feroyan said Karapetyan denies wrongdoing.

Feroyan said the Investigative Committee wants to file a motion to court seeking an arrest warrant for Karapetyan.

Karapetyan's lawyers said the tycoon is facing an unlawful criminal proceeding. 

Attorney Lianna Gasparyan decried the indictment, saying the alleged offense only envisages a fine and community service under the criminal code, whereas investigators seek to remand Karapetyan in pre-trial detention, which shows “that the whole process is unlawful.”

On June 17, Karapetyan accused the government of waging an anti-church campaign and said he would interfere “in his own way" to put an end to it.  This was interpreted as a threat by authorities. 

Furthermore, authorities have denied waging an anti-church campaign and said that the calls to defrock several clergymen, including Catholicos Karekin II, are made in accordance with the church canon law because the latter have violated their vow to celibacy. PM Nikol Pashinyan had earlier accused Karekin II and other clergymen of violating their vow of celibacy, thus deeming them illegitimate. He said the Church shall elect a new leader. Pashinyan said the measures are needed for national security.