Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukyan said in a message sent from the Yerevan-Kentron penitentiary that his greatest concern these days is that employees at all enterprises linked to him have been deprived of the opportunity to go to work and earn their daily bread. He added that it was clear to everyone that the “unlawful suspension of these enterprises is intended to cause him pain.”

Tsarukyan also expressed gratitude to numerous prominent public figures who issued a statement in his support.

“Such a gesture is never forgotten. I know some of you personally, I have met some of you at the construction site of the Christ statue, and there are many I do not know, but we will certainly meet.

“To be frank, the first thought that came to me after hearing about your statement was this: how can one nation have so many famous and respected figures, people who have achieved serious success in their fields, while our country remains in this condition?

“Our people have enormous potential. We can stand tall again, we can restore our self-confidence, and we have much to say to the world — in culture, science, sports and every other field,” the message said.

Tsarukyan said the “unjust case” brought against him had nothing to do with those institutions.

“Everyone knows that I withdrew from the management of these enterprises a long time ago, have nothing to do with their current affairs and have not interfered in their operations. Nevertheless, it is also obvious to everyone that the unlawful suspension of these enterprises is meant to hurt me. I want to express hope that reason will ultimately prevail and that their operations will no longer be obstructed. These enterprises provide jobs for thousands of people and work with tens of thousands of other partners whose businesses are also suffering greatly during this period. All of this is causing truly significant harm both to working citizens and to our country as a whole.

“These days, my thoughts often take me to the construction site of the Christ statue. Every stone, every step and every meter is precious and important to me. I recently thought that the time had come to create a working group for the statue’s opening ceremony. I plan for distinguished guests from all corners of the world to attend, including famous figures, internationally renowned personalities, official delegations, friends of my country and people, and representatives of different nations and religions. I can say that I have already received assurances from many prominent individuals that they will come to our country for the opening to see the new wonder of the world.

“All of this must be developed, planned, discussed and negotiated. In short, there is a great deal of work to be done. God willing, everything will be accomplished.

“I have a deep and unshakable conviction that the construction of this statue will usher in a new and brighter era for our country.

“The statue must open a new chapter and bring new success to our country. It should become a new symbol of our internal solidarity, national revival and the way we present ourselves to the world,” the message said.

Starting early on July 6, employees of Armenia’s National Security Service, State Revenue Committee and Interior Ministry police carried out simultaneous searches at more than 70 addresses, including Tsarukyan’s mansion and companies belonging to him. Tsarukyan was detained. Early on July 7, a court of general jurisdiction for Yerevan’s Avan and Nor Nork administrative districts began considering the issue of his pretrial detention. By the end of the day, it became known that he had been remanded in custody for two months.