Yerevan court upholds house arrest for Russian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan

A court in Yerevan has upheld the decision to keep Russian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan under house arrest.

The ruling was issued by Armenia’s Appeals Anti-Corruption Court, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

On January 15, the Appeals Anti-Corruption Court reviewed a prosecution request seeking to change Karapetyan’s preventive measure from house arrest to pre-trial detention. The judges declined to grant the motion, confirming that the businessman would remain under house arrest.

This followed an earlier development on December 30, when the Anti-Corruption Court approved a petition from Karapetyan’s defence team and replaced his initial detention with house arrest combined with bail. By the same December 30, 2025 ruling, the court officially substituted his custodial detention with house arrest.

Karapetyan had originally been taken into custody in June 2025 after publicly siding with the Church during a confrontation between Armenia’s clergy and government authorities. 

Subsequent to his arrest, prosecutors brought additional charges under points 2 and 3 of Part 3 of Article 296 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, accusing him of “large-scale money laundering carried out through the use of official or service powers or influence derived from such positions.”

By Tamilla Hasanova