RA ex-president`s brother Alexander Sargsyan arrested in absentia and  placed on wanted list

ArmInfo. The prosecutor has opened a public criminal case against Alexander Sargsyan (better known as  "Sashik 50%), a former member of the National Assembly and brother of the third president of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. The press service of the RA Prosecutor General's Office told ArmInfo.

According to the source, the criminal case was opened under Article  46-256, Part 3, Clause 3 of the Criminal Code (incitement to  embezzlement of entrusted property). Arrest has been imposed as a  preventive measure, and he has been placed on the wanted list.

As a reminder, the online publication "Ishkhanutyun" (Power) reported  yesterday that Anti-Corruption Court Judge Sargis Petrosyan granted  the pretrial investigation body's motion to arrest Sargsyan, who is  accused of embezzlement on an especially large scale.  The indictment  states that Alexander Sargsyan, the brother of Serzh Sargsyan, who  served as Armenia's acting Minister of Defense from 2000 to 2007,  allegedly influenced the heads of the Military Police Department from  2001 to 2018, encouraging them to embezzle state funds. The court  granted the arrest warrant on February 24. Despite this, Alexander  Sargsyan's whereabouts remain unknown.

Alexander Sargsyan served as a member of the National Assembly from  2003 to 2011, and the press has linked his name to numerous  businesses. On July 4, 2018, the National Security Service (NSS)  searched the Sargsyan family's apartment at 11 Tumanyan Street, after  which he was brought before the NSS. The NSS released a statement  stating that Alexander Sargsyan was being questioned in connection  with allegations of theft of 14 works by Martiros Saryan. Following  this, according to the NSS, Sargsyan donated $19.5 million to the  state, which, according to media reports, was used to purchase two  Russian Su-30SM fighter jets. Despite this, in March 2018, the NSS  allowed Alexander Sargsyan, who was accused of fraud, to temporarily  leave Armenia.

In April 2020, the National Security Service (NSS) reported that, at  the request of the preliminary investigation body, Alexander Sargsyan  returned to Armenia to participate in the investigation. In 2021, he  paid the state 3.5 billion drams (or approximately $7 million at the  time) in a criminal case opened under the article on malicious  evasion of taxes, duties, or other mandatory payments, which carries  a sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.  According to the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia, Sargsyan  paid this amount as compensation for damages, penalties, and fines  incurred as a result of the crimes. It is for this reason that  Sargsyan was not prosecuted.  According to the supervisory body,  Sargsyan also donated $20.5 million to the armed forces of  Nagorno-Karabakh and the servicemen's fund. In fact, Alexander  Sargsyan paid $27.5 million. Meanwhile, before and after the "velvet  revolution" of 2018, there was an opinion in opposition circles and  among the general public that the "all-powerful" brother of Serzh  Sargsyan illegally took a share in various profitable enterprises in  Armenia, taking 50 percent of the profits.