The Public Council for the Defense of Gagik Tsarukyan called on the court to release the businessman from prison

ArmInfo. The leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, has been illegally imprisoned for four months on a criminal case brought on false charges. This was stated in a statement by the Public Council for the Defense of Gagik Tsarukyan and Political Prisoners.

The statement reminds that a court hearing in Gagik Tsarukyan's case will take place today, where the issue of further pretrial detention will be considered.

"From the detailed explanations of the lawyers and the published video materials, it is clear that Gagik Tsarukyan himself is the victim of this entire story, and it was against him that a criminal offense was committed. Gagik Tsarukyan must be released as soon as possible. This is the only thing we expect from the justice system." "We demand freedom for Gagik Tsarukyan, as well as for all those prosecuted on false charges," the statement reads.

The Public Council emphasized that it will continue the fight, actively working not only with local but also international human rights organizations, media, activists, and world-renowned figures, raising international interest in this case and the problem of selective justice in Armenia as a whole. "Freedom for Gagik Tsarukyan and other political prisoners," the Council stated.

As a reminder, the investigation accuses Gagik Tsarukyan of crimes under several articles of the Criminal Code relating to fraud, extortion, and money laundering. Sedrak Arustamyan, head of the Multi Group concern, and seven other individuals are also implicated in this case. The Investigative Committee believes that Tsarukyan and other individuals falsified customs declarations and documents, resulting in major damage to the state or the structures involved (including episodes of theft of property worth approximately 8.1 billion drams). On July 7, 2026, a court in Yerevan arrested Gagik Tsarukyan for a period of 2 months. The politician's defense tried to appeal this decision. In October 2026, the Compulsory Enforcement Service of Armenia, based on the decisions of the Anti-Corruption Court, imposed a large-scale seizure of property and assets associated with Tsarukyan. About 29 real estate properties, 33 vehicles, and 488 units of movable property were seized. A separate ban on changes in ownership was imposed on Tsarukyan's properties in the coastal area of Lake Sevan. Seizures were also imposed on shares in 27 different companies of Tsarukyan himself, as well as on the shares and stocks of 40 legal entities that are with him are interconnected.