RA Prosecutor General`s Office launches criminal case against Gagik  Tsarukyan

ArmInfo.  The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has launched a public criminal case against Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), accusing him of large-scale tax evasion.

  In a statement provided to news agency ArmInfo, the Prosecutor  General's press service confirmed the investigation, noting that  Tsarukyan is being prosecuted under Article 290, Part 3, Clause 2 of  the Criminal Code of Armenia ("tax evasion on an especially large  scale"). Additionally, law enforcement authorities have imposed a  travel ban as a preventive measure. 

The legal action follows reports in several pro-government media  outlets alleging that Tsarukyan attempted to "flee" the country after  being stopped at Zvartnots International Airport. PAP spokesperson  Iveta Tonoyan firmly denied these allegations, clarifying that  Tsarukyan had merely planned a brief personal trip.  "At that point,  the government's propaganda machine began spreading headlines  claiming 'Gagik Tsarukyan is attempting to leave the country,'"  Tonoyan wrote on her Facebook page. "The reality is that the PAP  leader had a two- or three-day visit planned with his wife for  personal and family reasons. That's the whole story." 

Tonoyan added that when airport border guards asked Tsarukyan to  clarify certain information at the passport checkpoint, the  businessman declined to do so to avoid misinterpretation, choosing  instead to cancel the trip and return home. "I understand that  pro-government media outlets have a free hand to write about anything  and everything, but we must understand that there are situations that  are simply unacceptable," she concluded.

It should be noted that the criminal prosecution comes at a highly  sensitive political moment. Following the June 7 parliamentary  elections, electoral authorities are currently conducting vote  recounts at several polling stations to determine whether the PAP  will clear the necessary threshold to enter the National Assembly,  with preliminary reports indicating the party is just a handful of  votes short.