Businessman Ashot Sukiasyan says he registered an offshore company in the name of Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Leader of Ararat Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan without their consent. Sukiasyan confessed in his letter addressed to the Prosecutor General. The person involved in the case over offshore scandal provided a copy of the letter to Hetq.am, a website that disseminated the reports on the offshore company belonging to the prime minister. Sukiasyan says he founded "WLISPERA HOLDINGS LIMITED" registering the shares in the name of Sargsyan and Kchoyan without their consent.
"I did it to insure my business against encroachments. I did not realize that it will have such consequences," Sukiasyan says.
The Armenian Police put Sukiasyan on the wanted list on June 17. Head of the Public Relations and Information Office of the Police Ashot Aharonyan told ArmInfo that a criminal case was initiated on the basis of businessman Paylak Hayrapetyan's application yet a year ago. A decision was adopted overnight to bring Sukiasyan responsible for fraud, damage to property, and money laundering.
To recall Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office for verification of the damaging information against him published by Hetq.am. The prime minister is discontented at the recent publication on hetq.am saying that WLISPERA HOLDINGS LIMITED, an offshore company registered in Cyprus has three equal shareholders - RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Primate of the Ararat Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Navasard Kjoyan and Ashot Sukiasyan. WLISPERA (WHL) is directly connected to a case businessman Paylak Hayrapetyan's bankruptcy. The source published also a copy of the document allegedly confirming the given information.