Armenia: Searches under way at home of Arinj Mall director

Searches are underway at the home of Alik Nazaryan, director of Arinj Mall, a shopping centre owned by businessman and politician Gagik Tsarukyan.

The searches are being conducted as part of a criminal case over the non-payment of taxes on an especially large scale, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The reports did not provide further details about the searches.

It was previously reported that the government intends to confiscate the shopping centre.

The supervisory authority has asked a court to invalidate the 2015 privatisation of a 3.5-hectare plot of land.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan vowed to recover all property he says was illegally acquired by former officials and businessmen, including Gagik Khachatryan and Robert Kocharyan.

Speaking at a briefing, Pashinyan said he would seek to remove a provision allowing 25% of disputed property to be retained under settlement agreements, arguing that 100% of illegally acquired property should be returned.

“We will take even the shoes they obtained illegally,” Pashinyan said, referring to Khachatryan and Kocharyan.

He also raised concerns about Armenia’s judicial system, particularly the handling of cases involving sexual violence against children, questioning whether judicial independence and the presumption of innocence were being applied at the expense of victims.

By Aghakazim Guliyev