Former president Robert Kocharian enters the Karen Demirchyan Sports Complex in Yerevan on Mar. 16

Armenia’s Central Election Commission has approved a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office to lift the parliamentary immunity of former president Robert Kocharian, leader of the opposition Armenia Alliance.

The decision was announced Thursday by Kocharian’s lawyer Aram Orbelyan following the CEC meeting.

Orbelyan said Kocharian is expected to be charged with abuse of official authority and money laundering.

Earlier, the lawyer explained that the Prosecutor General’s Office had sought the CEC’s consent within the framework of a case related to a transaction approved by the Armenian government in 2004 during Kocharian’s presidency.

According to Orbelyan, the transaction has never been legally challenged and neither Kocharian nor members of his family were involved in it.

He said that in 2008, after Kocharian had left office, his son, Sedrak, purchased a stake in the company involved in the transaction, paying what he described as a substantial sum. Prosecutors are now allegedly attempting to link that purchase to the 2004 deal.

“The case concerns the Master Class tennis complex. The property had been leased, and the tenant had begun construction using its own funds. In 2008, facing financial difficulties, the company sought investors and made an offer to Sedrak Kocharian, who subsequently became involved in the project,” Orbelyan said.

On June 16, it was announced that the Prosecutor General’s Office had formally requested the CEC’s consent to lift Kocharyan’s immunity.

The Armenia Alliance, led by Kocharyan, passed the electoral threshold in the June 7 parliamentary elections and is set to hold 12 seats in the new parliament. As the head of the alliance’s electoral list, Kocharian enjoys legal protections that require CEC approval before criminal proceedings can be initiated against him or restrictions placed on his liberty.

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