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Former State Revenue Committee (SRC) Chairman Gagik Khachatryan has been arrested as part of an investigation into particularly large-scale bribery and money laundering, the Investigative Committee has said.
The arrest came shortly after a warrant for his arrest was issued earlier in the day.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the new allegations include receiving particularly large bribes in exchange for favorable treatment by tax and customs authorities and acquiring properties in central Yerevan with a combined market value of 2.179 billion drams for a stated price of 484 million drams. Khachatryan is also accused of participating in the illegal acquisition of a 451.1-square-meter property belonging to the Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences, valued at 208.908 million drams, laundering 151.126 million drams, and wasting 174.581 million drams in connection with the reconstruction of the SRC’s Dilijan Training Center.
The Prosecutor’s Office also said a forensic medical examination found that Khachatryan has no health problems preventing him from participating in procedural actions. It said he did not require surgery, while Khachatryan refused to undergo an MRI examination.
The statement also noted that a U.S. mansion belonging to Khachatryan’s family was sold at auction for $36 million in January 2025 as part of U.S. forfeiture proceedings. Under a settlement, 85% of the proceeds went to the U.S. government and 15% to the family, with the U.S. Justice Department expressing its intention to propose returning the remaining amount, after expenses, to Armenia.
Separately, in proceedings concerning the confiscation of allegedly illicitly acquired assets, authorities are seeking to recover from Khachatryan and people linked to him 193 properties, stakes in 29 legal entities, movable property, bonds, bank deposits, loan claims and about 17.8 billion drams.
This article has been updated with details from the Prosecutor’s Office.