Saturday,
Authorities ‘Still Hunting’ For Sarkisian’s Fugitive Brother
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian awards a medal to his brother Levon, March
22, 2016.
Armenian law-enforcement authorities have so far been unable to track down and
arrest a fugitive brother of former President Serzh Sarkisian facing corruption
charges, Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian claimed on Friday.
Levon Sarkisian was charged with “illegal enrichment” after tax inspectors
discovered in June that he and his two children hold almost $7 million in
undeclared deposits at an Armenian bank.
Under Armenian law, such asset declarations are mandatory for high-ranking
state officials and their family members. This legal requirement applies to
Levon Sarkisian because he worked as ambassador-at-large at the Armenian
Foreign Ministry until his brother was overthrown in last spring’s “velvet
revolution.”
Levon Sarkisian is thought to have left Armenia shortly before being indicted.
One of his business partners, Gabriel Jemberjian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian
service in December that Sarkisian is now living abroad but planning to return
to Armenia because “his issues should be solved very soon.”
The head of the National Security Service (NSS), Artur Vanetsian, stated
recently that the ex-president’s brother is in Lebanon at the moment.
Davtian downplayed Vanetsian’s statement, arguing that it has not yet been
officially confirmed by Lebanese authorities. “We can start an extradition
process only if he is found and arrested [in a foreign country] and we are
formally notified about that,” the chief prosecutor told reporters. “That has
not happened yet.”
Also prosecuted is Serzh Sarkisian’s second, more controversial brother,
Aleksandr. He was charged with fraud in February several months after the NSS
had his $30 million bank account frozen as part of a separate criminal inquiry.
The NSS announced early this month that it has allowed Aleksandr Sarkisian to
“temporarily” leave the country after he donated $19.6 million of that money to
the Armenian military.
Sarkisian, who is better known as “Sashik,” also paid $6.5 million in back
taxes. The nearly $3.9 million remaining in his frozen account will also be
transferred to the state to fully settle his tax debt, according to the NSS.
Press Review
Lragir.am quotes a former Azerbaijani foreign minister, Tofik Zulfugarov, as
predicting that Friday’s meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian will end in failure. He says that the
conflicting parties will fail to bridge their substantial differences on the
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The online publication suggests
that summit’s possible failure would lead to either a continued “imitation” of
peace talks or an escalation of tensions of the Karabakh frontlines. “The
Armenian side is reviewing the whole negotiating process and demanding a public
interpretation [by Baku and the mediators] of the proposed principles [of the
Karabakh settlement,]” it says.
“Zhoghovurd” describes as “quite sharp” Pashinian’s criticism of the United
States which he voiced on Thursday. “It is the first time that Pashinian spoke
about the United States in such a tough manner,” comments the paper. It notes
that he also criticized the European Union during and after a July 2018 visit
to Brussels and stressed the importance of respecting Armenia’s sovereignty in
his first talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Why did at least 95 percent of the public support the revolution in April last
year?” writes “Haykakan Zhamanak.” “Because at least 95 percent of the public
felt that Armenia needs radical changes, and in all areas.” The pro-government
daily does not exclude that Pashinian’s approval ratings have fallen since
then. But it insists that even those Armenians who are now disappointed with
the prime minister continue to demand radical changes. They are only unhappy
with the pace of those changes, it says. Some of them may also not like
government efforts to make every citizen pay taxes, the planned downsizing of
the state bureaucracy or a perceived lack of individuals jailed for corruption,
according to the paper.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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