Prosecutors seek to lift Tsarukyan's immunity

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's Prosecutor General's Office has submitted a motion to the Central Election Commission (CEC) seeking to lift the parliamentary immunity of Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukyan and obtain consent to initiate criminal prosecution against him, the CEC confirmed, according to Sputnik Armenia.

According to the CEC, the motion will most likely be considered after the Constitutional Court issues its decision, as the commission is currently preparing for proceedings related to the opposition's appeal before the court.

On June 9, Tsarukyan was prevented from leaving the country at Zvartnots International Airport. Public criminal prosecution has been initiated against him on charges of large-scale tax evasion. According to Iveta Tonoyan, the party's spokesperson, Tsarukyan had planned a two- to three-day trip abroad with his wife. It later became known that, after the criminal proceedings were initiated, investigators imposed a travel restriction requiring him not to leave the country.

On the night of June 7–8, before the preliminary election results had been announced, Civil Contract prime ministerial candidate Nikol Pashinyan declared his party's victory and said that Robert Kocharyan, Gagik Tsarukyan, and Samvel Karapetyan should be held accountable.

Pashinyan also alleged that the political forces led by the three had engaged in vote-buying and instructed law enforcement agencies to investigate all such cases.