Former Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan has been declared wanted by Armenian law enforcement agencies in a money laundering case, days after investigators indicted him along with other former officials.

The case involves large-scale corruption and money laundering linked to property worth over 200 million drams.

A court approved the investigator’s motion to order pre-trial detention in absentia for Sargsyan, who is currently abroad. Sargsyan was subsequently declared wanted, the Investigative Committee said. 

According to the Investigative Committee, former officials—including ex-Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatryan, his son Artyom Khachatryan, ex–Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan, and several former university and business officials—are accused of abuse of official powers. Former rector of Brusov State University Gayane Gasparyan, former vice-rector Artur Avagyan, and former deputy director of the “Yerevan Mall” shopping center Harutyun Tadevosyan are also facing charges.

Vigen Sargsyan served as Defense Minister from 2016 to 2018 and previously served as Chief of Staff in the administration of Serzh Sargsyan. He was chairman of the university’s governing board at the time the alleged scheme was carried out. Armen Ashotyan served as Minister of Education and Science from 2009 to 2016.

Gagik Khachatryan served as Chairman of the State Revenue Committee from 2008 to 2014 and as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2016.

Arrest warrants have been issued for all suspects.

Ashotyan was taken into custody, and a court approved his pre-trial detention for one month. A court rejected the request for pre-trial detention for Gagik Khachatryan, and he was released but banned from leaving the country pending trial. Gasparyan and Avagyan are also banned from leaving the country.

A court has yet to rule on pre-trial detention in absentia for Artyom Khachatryan and Harutyun Tadevosyan, both of whom are abroad.

A court has approved a motion for pre-trial detention in absentia for another candidate who ran on the Strong Armenia ticket in the June 7 parliamentary election in connection with an ongoing vote-buying investigation.

The Investigative Committee said in a statement that the court granted the prosecution’s request to remand the suspect – Hayk Avagyan – in custody as a preventive measure. The individual remains at large.

The decision comes amid an ongoing investigation into alleged vote-buying and material inducement of voters involving members of the Strong Armenia bloc.

Earlier, two of the six candidates previously named in the case were detained after law enforcement agencies carried out arrests and the court ordered their pre-trial detention.

Arrest warrants for six members of the Strong Armenia bloc were issued on June 6 after the Electoral Commission approved prosecutors’ motion to bring charges as part of the investigation into alleged money laundering and vote-buying.

The investigation is ongoing.

A court has approved pre-trial detention in absentia for another candidate who ran on the Strong Armenia ticket in the June 7 parliamentary election, as part of an ongoing vote-buying investigation.

The Investigative Committee said in a statement that the court granted the investigators’ motion to remand Artur Abrahamyan in custody with no bail. The individual remains at large and is wanted.

This marks the latest in a series of similar rulings in the same case. Earlier the same day, a court ordered pre-trial detention in absentia for another Strong Armenia candidate.

The Strong Armenia Alliance will apply to Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) seeking the annulment of the results of the parliamentary elections held in the country on June 7.

The announcement was made by Narek Karapetyan, the first candidate on the Strong Armenia Alliance’s electoral list.

Karapetyan claimed that, based on recounts currently being conducted following applications submitted by several political forces, the vote tally of the Civil Contract Party had allegedly decreased significantly, despite statements by Civil Contract representatives that the recount process had increased their vote total by more than 1,000 votes.

Karapetyan also alleged that military personnel were directed to participate in the vote and that employees of the state system were instructed to vote in favor of the Civil Contract Party.

“Taking all this into account, tomorrow we will apply to the Central Electoral Commission so that the commission invalidates the election results and reviews Civil Contract’s votes. If we do not receive a prompt response, we will apply to the Constitutional Court,” Karapetyan said.

According to the preliminary results of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections, three political forces are set to enter parliament: the Civil Contract Party, the Strong Armenia Alliance, and the Armenia Alliance.

Preliminary figures show that the Civil Contract Party received 727,827 votes, or 49.825% of the vote. Based on these results, the party is expected to secure a parliamentary majority and form the government.

The Strong Armenia Alliance received 340,088 votes, or 23.281%, while the Armenia Alliance secured 145,113 votes, or 9.934%.

The Prosperous Armenia Party remains very close to the electoral threshold of 4%. According to preliminary results, the party received 3.996% of the vote, falling short of entering parliament by 0.004 percentage points.

Prosperous Armenia had earlier announced that it would apply to the CEC for recounts at a number of polling stations.

The vote recount process is currently underway, and the final election results are scheduled to be announced on June 14.

A court has ordered the arrest of Vahe Tavakalyan, a parliamentary candidate from the Strong Armenia Alliance, and a wanted notice has been issued for him as part of a criminal investigation into the alleged material inducement of numerous individuals during the election campaign and the laundering of particularly large amounts of money.

The information was provided by Armenia’s Investigative Committee.

Earlier, within the framework of the same criminal case, two other Strong Armenia Alliance parliamentary candidates, Sasun Badoyan and Vahe Yeghiazaryan, had been placed under arrest.

On June 11, arrest was also ordered as a preventive measure against two additional alliance parliamentary candidates, Hayk Avagyan and Artur Abrahamyan, who have likewise been placed on the wanted list.

It became known on June 7 that the Department for the Investigation of General and Electoral Crimes of the Main Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the Investigative Committee was conducting a pre-trial investigation into allegations of material inducement of numerous individuals and money laundering on a particularly large scale.

As part of the proceedings, public criminal prosecution was initiated against six Strong Armenia Alliance parliamentary candidates: Hayk Avagyan, Sasun Badoyan, Artur Abrahamyan, Vahe Tavakalyan, Vahe Yeghiazaryan, and Ashot Sahakyan.

According to the Investigative Committee, the prosecutions were launched under Part 2 of Article 46-236 and Point 3 of Part 3 of Article 296 of Armenia’s Criminal Code.

Before public criminal prosecution was initiated against the candidates, the Central Electoral Commission had granted the consent requested by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia.

Compulsory Enforcement Service press release 

June 11 marks the 19th World Day of Judicial Officers. This year it is marked under the “The Judicial Officer: At the Frontline of a Changing World” theme.

Siro Amirkhanyan, Chief Enforcement Officer of Armenia, released a statement on this occasion.

“Dear Colleagues,

Dear Staff Members,

Today, we celebrate the 19th World Day of Judicial Officers. This year’s observance is held under the timely theme: “The Judicial Officer: At the Frontline of a Changing World”.

The modern world demands speed, precision, and continuous improvement from all of us.

Within the framework of the Government of the Republic of Armenia’s 2021–2026 Action Program, a clear objective was set before us: to fundamentally reform the enforcement system.

Today, we can confidently state that the Compulsory Enforcement Service not only keeps pace with these changes but stands at their forefront, thanks to the comprehensive digitalization of the system and the introduction of advanced electronic tools.

On this festive occasion, I would like to express special gratitude to our international partners and personally to Marc Schmitz, of the President of International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ), for their constant support, willingness to share expertise, and commitment to cooperation. The localization of international best practices and our strong partnership with the Union greatly contribute to the modernization of Armenia’s enforcement system and its alignment with European standards.

The reforms we have implemented are aimed at one principal goal: enhancing the effectiveness of enforcement proceedings and ensuring the maximum protection of the rights of both citizens and the state. The successes we have achieved in this direction are already tangible.

Once again congratulating our partners in the International Union of Judicial Officers, I wish continued productive and effective cooperation.

Justice begins with the law and is carried out with the participation of the enforcement officer.”

ZCMC press release 

Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) is pleased to announce it has joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, bringing together thousands of companies committed to responsible business practices and sustainable development.

By becoming a participant in the UN Global Compact, ZCMC aligns its operations and business practices with the initiative’s Ten Principles covering human rights, labour, environmental stewardship, and anti-corruption, while contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The decision reflects ZCMC’s commitment to strengthening its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and ensuring the continuous alignment of its activities with internationally recognized sustainability standards and best practices.

“Joining the United Nations Global Compact reflects our commitment to continuously improving the way we operate and to aligning our business with globally recognized principles of responsible corporate conduct. As Armenia’s leading mining company, we recognize our responsibility to create value not only through production, but also through strong governance, environmental stewardship, safe workplaces, and constructive engagement with our stakeholders.”said Roman Khudoliy, General Director of Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine.

As part of the initiative, ZCMC will annually publish its Communication on Progress (CoP), providing stakeholders with an account of the company’s progress in implementing the Ten Principles and enabling benchmarking against leading companies across the global mining and metals sector.

Joining the UN Global Compact marks another important milestone in ZCMC’s sustainability journey and its efforts to strengthen corporate governance, enhance accountability, and create long-term value for its stakeholders.

ZCMC would also like to take this opportunity to inform its stakeholders that the company has recently completed an assessment by one of the world’s leading ESG rating agencies for the year 2024. Over a two-year period, ZCMC improved its ESG score by 20 points, exceeding the global industry average for the metals and mining sector and reflecting significant progress in strengthening its sustainability performance and governance practices. While the results are not publicly disclosed, ZCMC intends to pursue a public ESG rating for the 2025 reporting year, with publication expected in 2026.

Armenia will send humanitarian aid to Lebanon. The decision was approved at a Cabinet meeting. The aid will be sent via Türkiye by land through the Margara checkpoint, which will be opened from June 12–22 for the shipment.

The route enables faster and more cost-effective delivery of the aid.

The Margara checkpoint has been closed since Türkiye unilaterally shut down the land border with Armenia in the early 1990s.

The checkpoint was briefly opened in 2023 when Armenia sent humanitarian aid to Türkiye in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. It was also opened in 2025 for Armenian humanitarian aid shipments to Syria.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of Spain’s Congress of Deputies, in which all parliamentary groups are represented, has adopted a statement expressing support for the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The committee expressed its support for efforts aimed at the formalization of the initialed peace agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which would bring about a “lasting and sustainable end to the conflict between the two states.”

The committee positively assessed that the agreement is based on the principles of international law, in particular the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, and political independence, as well as the renunciation of the use or threat of force and of any territorial claims.

“The committee also emphasized the importance of the mechanisms provided for delimitation, confidence- and security-building measures, peaceful settlement of disputes, and humanitarian commitments, particularly regarding missing persons. In this regard, and as evidence of progress in the peace process, progress toward the release of all Armenian captives is of fundamental importance — a step that would strengthen mutual trust and reinforce the humanitarian component of the agreement.”

The committee also highlighted the importance of initiatives aimed at opening communications, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity as factors contributing to stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus.

It praised the role of the international community in supporting this process and encouraged continued support for all initiatives aimed at strengthening regional peace, stability, and cooperation.

Based on the above, the Foreign Affairs Committee:

Expresses its support for the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and reaffirms its commitment to promoting peace, dialogue, and international cooperation as fundamental principles of coexistence between states;

Encourages the parties to finalize the signing of the agreement and implement it in good faith;

Stresses the importance of establishing a fair, lasting, and inclusive peace between the two states, which will serve the interests of present and future generations and contribute to regional stability and prosperity.

Armenian Ambassador to Spain Sos Avetisyan responded to the statement and thanked the Spanish legislators.

“I would like to thank all parliamentary groups in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Congress of Deputies for this important statement aimed at supporting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the opening of regional communications,” the ambassador said, as quoted by the Embassy of Armenia in Spain.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 11 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 368.42 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.69 drams to 424.9 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.0215 drams to 5.0964 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.06 drams to 492.28 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 1859 drams to 49405 drams.