Armenia opens new voter bribery case linked to Russian tycoon's party

The Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia has opened another criminal case involving alleged voter bribery by supporters of the “Strong Armenia” party linked to Russian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan.

According to a statement cited by TASS, investigators obtained information indicating that one of the party’s supporters, acting together with the head of the Ani community in the Shirak Region and several other individuals, allegedly offered financial incentives to voters.

The reported payments ranged from 70,000 to 200,000 Armenian drams (approximately $190–$540) in exchange for supporting Karapetyan’s party in the upcoming June parliamentary elections.

“The Anti-Corruption Committee of the Republic of Armenia has initiated a criminal case regarding this incident; a number of individuals have been arrested, searches and other procedural actions have been carried out,” the statement said.

Authorities emphasised that this is not an isolated case, noting that representatives of the “Strong Armenia” party have previously been implicated in criminal investigations related to voter bribery.

By Tamilla Hasanova