The Investigative Committee of Armenia has completed the investigation of a large-scale case of embezzlement and money laundering of around 11 million euros from one of the local banks. The main accused, wanted for more than a decade, has been extradited from Russia and will soon stand trial.

According to the materials of the criminal case initiated in September 2013, a group consisting of citizens of Iran and Armenia carried out a major fraud scheme. Acting with a preliminary agreement with the head of one of the banks operating in RA and his deputy, the criminals withdrew the funds through fake loan agreements concluded between the companies.

In August 2012, on the basis of forged documents, the first tranche of 1 million euros was transferred to the account of a company controlled by one of the members of the group. In October of the same year, the remaining amount, 9.98 million euros, was transferred to the accounts of another affiliated entity.

By March 2013, the funds were finally distributed. one part was cashed, and the other part was transferred to the personal accounts of the scheme participants. Thus, the source of the money’s origin was concealed, and the process of laundering money equivalent to a total of 5.8 billion drams was completed.

The main suspect in the case, identified as V.M., has been under international arrest since January 2015. As a result of the coordinated actions of law enforcement agencies, he was found and arrested in the territory of the Russian Federation, and on June 18, 2026, he was officially extradited to Armenia.

Currently, the latter has been charged with forgery of particularly large documents, fraud and money laundering. According to the court’s decision, house arrest was chosen as a preventive measure against him, and the indictment has already been sent to the supervising prosecutor.

It should be noted that the investigation of other members of the criminal group (A.K. and M.E.) was completed earlier. Back in 2014, the court found them guilty and sentenced them to prison.

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Aram Vardevanyan, a deputy of the “Strong Armenia” opposition faction, has officially assumed the position of deputy speaker of the National Assembly, thanks to the decisive support of the ruling power.

As a result of closed and secret voting, 53 deputies voted for the opposition candidate. It is noteworthy that the help of the ruling majority was required to ensure the necessary minimum threshold in the 105-seat parliament. Representatives of the “Civil Agreement” faction secured 13 “for” votes.

Head of the ruling faction Arusyak Manavazyan in a briefing with journalists, he emphasized that the decision to provide the missing votes was made consciously in order not to defeat the election process. At the same time, he denied claims that it was their direct obligation, noting that they could simply not choose and wait for new nominations.

According to the constitutional law “Regulations of the National Assembly”, the parliamentary opposition has a fixed right to nominate its own candidate for the deputy speaker, but an absolute majority of the total number of deputies, at least 53 votes, is required for approval.

Let’s remind that the parliament of the 9th convocation, which started on August 2, had already formed the main part of the leadership. He has held the position of NA Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, and two of his deputies were elected Hayk Konjoryan and Vahagn Aleksanyan: During those votes, the “Strong Armenia” alliance opposed the ruling candidates, and the “Armenia” faction did not participate in the process at all.

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Ruben Vardanyan’s wife, Veronika Zonabend, stated that the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet contacted her regarding the organization of the planned women’s humanitarian visit to Baku.

At the same time, he reaffirmed his readiness for substantive dialogue in order to support compatriots detained in Azerbaijan.

By: Veronica Zonabendi official statement, although information is circulating in the media that the Foreign Ministry of Armenia has been appointed responsible for the coordination of this initiative, the official representatives have not made any contact so far, and the contact information of the responsible officials has not been provided.

He emphasized that he fully shares the concerns expressed by the RA Prime Minister in his address on August 8 regarding the fate of Armenians imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Positively evaluating the words of the head of the government and the news about the involvement of the Foreign Ministry in the organization of the visit, he at the same time emphasized the need for practical steps.

Concluding her speech, Veronika Zonabend expressed her hope that she will soon receive the necessary contact information in order to hold a substantive meeting. During that meeting, it is expected that further steps in the organization of the women’s humanitarian mission to Baku will be discussed, as well as other issues related to RA citizens detained in Azerbaijan.

Ruben Vardanyan, who was sentenced to twenty years in prison in Baku, and seven other military and political leaders of Artsakh have been imprisoned in Azerbaijan since September 2023, after the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. Currently, 19 Armenians are officially detained in Azerbaijan.

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In his message from the “Kentron” penitentiary institution, politician and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan referred to the role of patronage and economic development. He emphasized that the foundation of the state is a competent economic policy, not only donations.

In his statement, Tsarukyan noted that recently charity often receives different interpretations, so he reaffirmed his thesis, which he voiced years ago, that it is not possible to save a country with charity alone. According to him, the stable development of the state is ensured by new jobs, a healthy economic environment and effective management systems.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that charity is of vital importance in the development of culture, science, sports and saving human lives.

Mentioning famous Armenian benefactors Alexander Mantashov, Kirk Kerkorian and: Samvel Karapetyanthe politician also referred to his activities. He noted that he once set a goal to break the stereotype that only the diaspora should help Armenia.

According to Tsarukyan, he, as an Armenian, has provided financial support to Armenian communities, schools and churches in Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the Middle East for many years, thus strengthening pan-Armenian unity.

Concluding his speech, the businessman added that the true meaning of charity lies in good intentions and the desire to help each other, regardless of the amount of money donated. He expressed his belief that encouraging mutual assistance forms a mutually respectful and strong society, while the division and hostility of the society is destructive for Armenia.

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The parliamentary opposition of Armenia has severely criticized the government’s military policy. According to MP Artur Khachatryan, the post-war budgetary allocations and chaotic purchases of incompatible weapons do not ensure the real security of the country against the background of external threats.

Presenting a detailed analysis of the situation in the defense sector, a deputy of the “Armenia” faction Artur Khachatryan it is unacceptable to consider the authorities’ statements that the army is not the most important factor in the security system. The politician recalled the ultimatum rhetoric of Baku, which openly declares that it will not tolerate the militarization of Armenia.

Assessing the scale of Arsenal’s losses in the 2020 war, the oppositionist drew parallels with a house that survived a disaster. According to him, the current military budget cannot be compared with the indicators of previous years, because now the calculation starts from the zero point. “If there is a fire at home, one cannot spend as much as in previous years. it is necessary to invest much more funds to return to the level before the fire”, the deputy emphasized, adding that the government is obliged to adequately estimate the cost of the complete restoration of the destroyed resources.

Touching upon the diversification of arms imports, Khachatryan expressed doubts about the compatibility of the purchased systems. He described the acquisition of Indian, Iranian, French and Russian weapons as the creation of a “military zoo”. The deputy noted that each unit of equipment can be the best in its class, but their integration into a unified system of management, supply and personnel training raises serious questions.

He described the situation related to the lack of operational compatibility with a figurative metaphor. “Beautiful sushi is delicious, kashi is also delicious, but the sushi you put in kashi, bon appetit, I would like to see who will eat it.”

Khachatryan pointed to the purchase of Su-30 fighter jets, which were never armed with missiles, as a vivid example of managerial failures. Sarcastically calling them “selfie” planes, the politician considered the situation, when a year and a half after purchase, combat vehicles are left without ammunition, to be absurd. “Buying a weapon without missiles is like buying a PlayStation for a child without a game disk,” he stated.

Summarizing his speech, the oppositionist called on the authorities to face the truth, stressing that real peace is imposed solely by the balance of power, and “saying peace with halvah-halvah will not sweeten the mouth”.

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The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey has expressed deep concern regarding the unprecedented criminal prosecution against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six bishops.

The scandal surrounding the defamed clergyman has moved to the judicial level, leading to the ban on the exit of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and receiving strong reactions from spiritual centers.

In its official statement, the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey expressed full support to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, emphasizing that it is the basis of the spiritual union of the Armenian people. The Patriarchate called on those responsible to protect the church and not turn intra-church issues into legal disputes.

“Summoning His Holiness the Pope and bishops to the courts and accusing them insults the honor of the church,” the statement said, emphasizing that such processes ignore constitutional guarantees.

The court proceedings started on August 7 in the Vagharshapat court, where the first session of preliminary hearings in the case of Garegin II and six bishops who are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council was held, which ended with the judge recusing himself.

In addition to the Catholicos, Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Haykazun Archbishop Najaryan are involved as defendants. Shield Bishop Hovhannesian, Edgar and: Bishop Arthur Hakobyans. All of them were charged, and the Catholicos of All Armenians was officially banned from leaving Armenia.

The legal conflict arose in January 2026, when Bishop Gevorg Saroyan (Arman Saroyan), leader of Massyatsotn Diocese, was removed from his position by the decision of the Catholicos. The information system of the Mother See clarified on that occasion. “The materials for abusing the leader’s position, dereliction of duty, coercion and pressure on the clergymen of the diocese served as a basis for the directorate.”

However, Saroyan appealed to the first-instance court of general jurisdiction of Armavir region, which decided that he should continue to hold office and manage the finances until the end of the investigation of the case.

Despite the interim decision of the court and the notification of the Enforcement Service, Garegin II and the Supreme Spiritual Council decided to finally excommunicate Saroyan. The Prosecutor’s Office described this step as a deliberate violation of the court’s request. For their part, the clergy of the Massyatsotn Diocese expressed their opposition to the decision of the secular court, which actually forces them to recognize a person who has become a layman as their spiritual leader.

It is also known that former bishop Saroyan was among the clergy who demanded the resignation of the Catholicos, had meetings with the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with and regularly publicly criticize the head of the AAP.

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RA NA MP Sona Ghazaryan commented on the scandalous statement of the Investigative Committee, in which details of personal life were disclosed within the framework of the criminal case. The deputy called to rely on the position of the Personal Data Protection Agency and stop the dissemination of private information.

In a conversation with journalists, Sona Ghazaryan, the chairperson of the Standing Committee on European Integration, referred to the ethical aspect of the publication of the Investigative Committee. Earlier, the department had released a message about the ordered murder, which involved a famous politician Gagik Tsarukyan personal data related to the daughter.

Journalists were interested in the extent to which such behavior of law enforcement officers corresponds to European values, and whether it does not have a tendency to morally destroy a person.

In response to the questions, Ghazaryan emphasized that he fully shares the official position of the Personal Data Protection Agency operating under the Ministry of Justice. According to him, the statements of law enforcement bodies should not be an attempt to satisfy the expectations and curiosity of the public at the expense of violating people’s right to privacy.

As a member of parliament exercising control over executive bodies, he expressed his satisfaction with the quick and clear response of the profile agency.

At the same time, Ghazaryan refused to make a direct moral or political assessment of the actions of the Investigative Committee, stating that condemnation is not a political category for him, and he is not going to assume the duties of the spokesperson of that department.

At the end of the conversation, he urged the representatives of the press not to contribute to the dissemination of other people’s personal stories, not to be part of these conversations and to stop further publicizing this sensitive topic.

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In the village of Dashtavan, Ararat Marz, the night dispute over speeding turned into a mass brawl with clubs and stones.

The police managed to prevent the expansion of the incident by arresting more than ten people on suspicion of hooliganism.

As reported, on August 9, around 00:40, the Ministry of Internal Affairs 112 operational control center was alerted about the clash taking place in Dashtavan.

The law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene found out that the started argument quickly turned into a group fight, during which the parties hit each other with stones, batons and melee weapons.

Thanks to the prompt intervention of the police, further clashes were prevented. As a result of the operational and investigative measures taken, more than a dozen people involved in the incident were arrested and transferred to the Masis Community Police Department.

All the documents related to the case have already been submitted to the preliminary investigation body in order to ensure the further legal process.

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Artur Khachatryan, a deputy of the opposition “Hayastan” faction, severely criticized the policy of the authorities during the briefing. He accused the government of unilateral concessions to Azerbaijan, failure of diversification of the economy, as well as creating a political crisis with the Russian Federation, which affects local producers.

During a meeting with journalists Artur Khachatryan thoroughly addressed the issue of regional de-blockade. According to him, the real lifting of the blockade requires the political will of all parties, including the commitment of Azerbaijan and Turkey to operate the Ijevan-Gazakh, Yeraskh-Sadarak and Akhurik-Kars routes. However, according to the deputy, only Armenia has taken written commitments.

He described the idea of ​​”mutual advantage” as an illusion, noting that Yerevan is taking the risk of providing unhindered transit to Baku, receiving only limited import opportunities in return. Khachatryan emphasized that practically no Armenian products have been exported through the territory of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the opposition figure accused the authorities of trying to fulfill Baku’s demand to exclude contacts between Azerbaijanis and Armenian border guards, calling the use of “robots” and comparisons with the UAE an open lie.

A significant part of the briefing was devoted to the existing economic problems within the EAEU, in particular, the ban on the import of Armenian fish products from the Russian Federation. The deputy noted that the ban has a political motive related to Armenia’s rapprochement with the EU and the current tension in relations with Moscow.

At the same time, Khachatryan criticized the reaction of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who, instead of solving the issue diplomatically, publicly announced the poor quality of Armenian fish. According to Khachatryan, such statements endanger the prospects of exports to third countries.

Turning to the economy, the parliamentarian noted the failure of the diversification policy. He stated that the economic growth was artificial and was based solely on the re-export of Russian gold to the UAE, and with the stoppage of that scheme, the economy entered a crisis.

Khachatryan warned that for the sake of short-term dividends, sharp foreign policy turns lead the country to an economic disaster, which is clearly evidenced by the need to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in new loans for the purpose of budgetary support. The MP called on the government to stop making impulsive decisions, to clearly calculate the benefits expected from EAEU and the EU, and to build pragmatic relations with partners.

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