Tax authority uncovers hidden casino revenue

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's State Revenue Committee (SRC) has uncovered nearly 300 million drams in unreported turnover at O.K. LLC, located at 5 Yerevan–Abovyan Highway and widely known as an entertainment and leisure complex or casino.

Onira Club, the company operating the complex, is part of the Multi Group conglomerate owned by Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan.

During a large-scale operational investigation, officers from the SRC's Investigation and Operational Intelligence Department contacted company employees while posing as customers to obtain the actual price list for events held at the venue. Unaware that they were speaking with undercover officers, company representatives presented the real pricing and stated that, regardless of the number of guests, renting the hall could not cost less than 12 million drams.

Investigators also identified areas within the entertainment complex where digital records and documents related to the company's sales turnover were believed to be stored.

The collected information was thoroughly examined and analyzed before investigators carried out overt investigative measures. During these operations, they simultaneously reviewed data stored on computers, as well as internal accounting records and handwritten documents. The findings were compared with tax filings available in the SRC's database.

The investigation concluded that approximately 300 million drams in revenue generated from 25 private events organized by the company in 2025–2026 had not been reflected in its tax declarations. As a result, around 82 million drams in taxes were neither assessed nor paid into the state budget.

Based on the findings, a report on an alleged criminal offense was submitted to the Main Department for the Investigation of Economic Crimes and Smuggling of Armenia's Investigative Committee. A criminal case has been initiated under Article 290, Part 3, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code.

Early on July 6, officers of the National Security Service, the State Revenue Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs Police carried out simultaneous searches at more than 70 locations, including Tsarukyan's residence and companies linked to him. Tsarukyan was detained. On July 7, the Avan and Nor Nork Court of General Jurisdiction considered his pre-trial measure, and by the end of the day ordered his detention for two months.