Attorney Armen Feroyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday that investigators have now submitted a new motion to the Anti-Corruption Court seeking to extend Karapetian’s detention.
“We consider this yet another example of absolutely unlawful actions,” he said. He added that the defense plans to appeal any extension to the Court of Cassation, despite having little expectation of success.
Karapetian, 60, was arrested in June after publicly condemning government actions against the Armenian Apostolic Church and saying that “if politicians fail, then we will also participate in all of this in our own way.”
He was remanded into pretrial custody on charges of what investigators construed as a threat to overthrow the government. Prosecutors later added charges of large-scale fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering.
Karapetian, his family, and supporters have rejected the accusations as politically motivated. From prison, Karapetian announced plans to set up a political party to challenge the Pashinian government in next year’s parliamentary elections. His supporters, including his nephew Narek Karapetian, have said the party could be established as early as January.
Armenian authorities deny any political motives behind Karapetian’s prosecution.
In a separate petition, prosecutors asked the court to formally record the existence of a “reasonable suspicion” regarding the economic-related charges brought against Karapetian. The Appeals Court, however, left unchanged an earlier Anti-Corruption Court ruling that found no such suspicion.
According to Feroyan, law-enforcement bodies are attempting to “aggravate” the allegations by adding unfounded economic charges. “By bringing completely unlawful economic accusations and tying them to the case, they are trying to present it to the court and the public as a serious crime requiring a continued arrest,” he said. “But we already have four court rulings – two from first-instance courts and two from appellate courts – that directly establish that he has no connection to the alleged acts and that no reasonable suspicion exists.”
The hearing on prosecutors’ request to extend Karapetian’s pretrial detention is scheduled for November 17 at the Anti-Corruption Court.
Karapetian, a dual Russian and Armenian citizen, is a billionaire listed by Forbes. Among the businesses he owns is also Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), an electricity distribution company.
Shortly after the businessman’s arrest in June, the government announced plans to nationalize the company and appointed an interim manager. Karapetian and his family are mounting a legal battle against what they describe as an unfounded government takeover.
The court issued its decision on Karapetian today as the Public Services Regulatory Commission continued to consider revoking ENA’s license, citing consistent regulatory violations — a move that could pave the way for the company’s sale.
Tashir Group, ENA’s parent company, is opposing the decision. It has not publicly indicated whether it plans to negotiate a sale with the government if the license is revoked.
Karapetian’s family has filed a $500 million claim with an arbitration court, arguing that the seizure of ENA constitutes illegal expropriation. In July, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce issued an injunction obliging Armenian authorities to refrain from confiscating ENA from Karapetian’s group, changing ENA’s top management or revoking its parent company’s operating license pending a verdict in the case. The Armenian authorities have effectively ignored the order.