Armenian deputy speaker mocks jailed oligarch’s planned speech

Armenia’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan has sarcastically commented on reports that Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who was recently arrested, is set to deliver a speech.

“Today is a historic day. Today, Samvel Karapetyan will give a speech for the first time. Usually, people start speaking at the age of 1 or 2, but Samvel Karapetyan will do so at the age of 60, which testifies to his unrivalled patience. Truly, we are living in historic times,” Rubinyan wrote on Facebook, Caliber.Az reports.

Earlier, Armenia’s Investigative Committee concluded its investigation into a criminal case involving Samvel Karapetyan, the owner of Electric Networks of Armenia, along with two executives of affiliated companies identified as V. T. and A. Kh.

The case includes several charges, among them tax evasion, money laundering, large-scale embezzlement and public calls to seize power.

Investigators allege that Karapetyan, in coordination with the two executives, organised a scheme that resulted in tax evasion of more than 1.84 billion drams, equivalent to approximately $4.8 million.

The investigation also claims that between 2020 and 2023, embezzlement exceeding 4.97 billion drams (around $13.1 million) was carried out with the involvement of executives from multiple companies.

In addition, Karapetyan is accused of two counts of money laundering, allegedly committed in collusion with senior figures of other firms, involving a combined total of about 1.97 billion drams (roughly $5.2 million).

By Sabina Mammadli