Armenia’s leadership has dismissed allegations by former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) that corruption charges leveled against him are politically motivated.
Sarkisian was charged on Wednesday with “organizing” the alleged embezzlement in 2013 of 489 million drams (just over $1 million) in government funds allocated for the provision of subsidized diesel fuel to farmers. He denied the accusation through his lawyer.
The HHK leadership likewise dismissed it as a “blatant manifestation of solely political persecution” aimed at “silencing” political opponents of the current Armenian government. In a statement, it linked the criminal case to Sarkisian’s recent speech in Europe in which he strongly criticized the government.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s spokesman, Valdimir Karapetian, scoffed at those claims. “We are astounded by the accurate and straightforward content of the statement,” he said mockingly.
Vahagn Hovakimian, a senior member of Pashinian’s My Step alliance, also denied on Thursday any connection between the accusation and Sarkisian’s first public speech delivered since his dramatic resignation in April 2018. He said the ex-president addressed a congress of the European People’s Party in Croatia on November 20 in anticipation of his indictment.
“The guy positioned himself so as to say ‘look, there is political persecution,’” claimed Hovakimian. “In Armenia, nobody will be subjected to political persecution anymore, at least as long as our political force is in government.”
Edmon Marukian, the leader of the opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK), also said that he sees no political motives behind the high-profile case. Instead of alleging such motives, the HHK and its leader should make detailed statements on the embezzlement charge itself, he said.
“They freely speak up and freely engage in political activities and will continue to do so,” added Marukian. He also stressed the fact that Sarkisian was not arrested despite predictions to the contrary made by the ex-president’s entourage in recent months.
But Gevorg Petrosian, a senior parliamentarian representing Prosperous Armenia (BHK), the other opposition party represented in the parliament, did not exclude that Sarkisian is prosecuted for political reasons. He too pointed to Sarkisian’s November 20 speech, saying that it “could not have pleased the authorities.”
“But as a professional lawyer, I cannot claim [for certain] that the opening of the criminal case against Serzh Sarkisian is conditioned by solely political motives,” cautioned Petrosian.
According to unconfirmed press reports, the case is based on incriminating testimony against Sarkisian given by a former Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetian. It is not yet known whether Karapetian has also been charged by the Special Investigative Service.
Pashinian has repeatedly implicated Sarkisian, his family and political entourage in corruption both before and after coming to power in last year’s “Velvet Revolution” that overthrew the HHK leader.
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