Armenian Prosecutor General seeks confiscation of former President Robert Kocharyan’s illicit assets
Assets seized from Armenian Ex-President Robert Kocharyan
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia has filed a lawsuit seeking the confiscation of assets allegedly acquired unlawfully by former President Robert Kocharyan and individuals affiliated with him. The authorities are demanding the seizure of 22 real estate properties, bonds, vehicles, and other assets in favor of the Republic of Armenia. The full list was presented in parliament by Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan.
The lawsuit was submitted to the Anti-Corruption Court in October 2023. In recent hearings, the court considered a motion by the defense to dismiss the case on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired.
Kocharyan’s legal representative, Aram Orbelyan, argued that this alone should result in the case being thrown out. However, the proceedings are ongoing.
Political analyst Ruben Mehrabyan notes that cases involving the confiscation of illicit assets are being handled by the Anti-Corruption Court. He describes it as “a judicial body established from the ground up,” emphasizing that it is not constrained by the traditions of an entrenched system in need of reform.
“Moreover, the process reached the Constitutional Court, which has already issued its opinion. The Court ruled that the asset confiscation law is constitutional. This decision marked an important milestone, dispelling doubts about the legality of the process. From now on, everything should proceed more smoothly and swiftly,” he told JAMnews.
In April of this year, the Constitutional Court found the Law on Confiscation of Property of Illicit Origin to be in compliance with the Constitution. Under this legislation, the Prosecutor General’s Office is authorized to deem an individual’s assets unlawful and petition the court to confiscate them in favor of the state.
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List of assets targeted for confiscation by the Prosecutor General’s Office
The list of assets that the Prosecutor General’s Office deems to have been acquired illegally by former President Robert Kocharyan includes:
- 22 real estate properties
- Purchase rights for two additional properties
- Over $3 million in cash
- Bonds valued at 985 million drams (over $2.5 million)
- Bank deposits totaling more than $1.4 million
- Shares or stakes in 15 legal entities
- Rights to loan repayments amounting to more than $4 million, 8.3 billion drams (over $21.5 million), 260 million Russian rubles, and approximately €590,000
- Two vehicles
- Other property acquired for 3.8 billion drams (approximately $9.8 million)
- More than 20 billion drams in additional assets (nearly $52 million).
The lawsuit names Robert Kocharyan, his wife Bella Kocharyan, their daughter Gayane Kocharyan and her husband Vigen Chatinyan, as well as the former president’s two sons, Levon and Sedrak Kocharyan, and their spouses—singer Sirusho (Siranush Kocharyan) and Zaruhi Badalyan.
Closed court hearings — no video recording
Since the beginning of this year, several court sessions have been held in the case concerning the confiscation of assets from the former president and his family members. Thus far, the proceedings have focused solely on a motion regarding the statute of limitations, filed by the defense attorney, prominent lawyer Aram Orbelyan.
The investigation was launched on 8 October 2020, with the three-year statute of limitations set to expire on 9 October 2023.
Judge Narine Avagyan stated that Article 8 of the Law on Confiscation of Property of Illicit Origin governs the application of the statute of limitations. According to this article, the limitation period begins on the date when “a person became aware or should have become aware of the violation of their rights.”
Under Article 8, the investigation may last up to two years and may be extended for an additional year by a decision of the competent authority.
The plaintiff’s representative, Senior Prosecutor Gevorg Kocharyan, submitted to the court a postal receipt and a copy of the relevant envelope obtained from the court, confirming that the envelope was delivered to the defendant on 9 October 2023. The court accepted this as proof that the statute of limitations had not expired.
The case remains ongoing. At the request of the defense, the hearings are being held without video recording. Typically, all court sessions are recorded unless one of the parties objects.
Commentary
Political analyst Ruben Mehrabyan believes it would be premature to predict the outcome of what he describes as a “high-profile case.” Its scale, he notes, is evident from “the impressive list of diverse movable and immovable assets.”
At the same time, he emphasizes the overlap between the interests of Armenian officials who possess illicit assets and those of Russia in Armenia:
“The asset confiscation process will significantly weaken Russia’s influence in Armenia. That is a highly important additional outcome—alongside the recovery of misappropriated funds and property for the state.”
Mehrabyan argues that the individuals involved are backed by Moscow and represent Russia’s “political capital” within Armenia.
However, he offers a critical assessment of the progress of judicial reforms, attributing the shortcomings to the entrenched traditions of Armenia’s “legal school” system:
“At present, the country’s legal school remains the legacy and creation of Gagik Harutyunyan [Chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional Court from 1996 to 2018] and Aghvan Hovsepyan [Prosecutor General from 2004 to 2013]. And what it teaches isn’t law—it’s lawlessness.”
According to Mehrabyan, purging this “Soviet legacy” from the legal system is essential—and will likely require a generational change.
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Assets seized from Armenian Ex-President Robert Kocharyan
