Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) announced Wednesday that former President Serzh Sargsyan will be put on trial for the fourth time on corruption charges—allegations first raised five years ago that his allies say are politically driven.
The ACC claims that Sargsyan provided preferential treatment to a businessman close to him and later intervened in the latter’s business dealings to benefit himself and his family. Specifically, the agency alleges that Sargsyan played a key role in the 2015 sale of highly profitable companies belonging to the late Mikhail Baghdasaryan to a firm tied to one of his sons-in-law.
Sargsyan’s lawyer, Amram Makinyan, dismissed the case as a blatant political maneuver. “This accusation is yet another fabrication, surfacing just as the authorities brace for developments that could once again destabilize the country,” he said.
He also questioned the timing of the revived charges: “Why did they keep the case dormant for five years? Who gave the order to reopen it now?”
Sargsyan, who served as Armenia’s president from 2008 to 2018 and currently leads a major opposition alliance, has already faced three trials since leaving office. The first, launched in 2020, accused him of helping a longtime associate secure a state fuel procurement contract in 2013. That case ended in acquittal earlier this year—only for the presiding judge to be removed from office in October 2024. The acquittal was overturned by an appeals court in April.
In March, prosecutors announced a second criminal case, just days after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan unleashed a series of public attacks on Sargsyan and former President Robert Kocharyan. The charges concern the privatization of state-owned land in Yerevan in 2005, when Sargsyan was serving as defense minister. He has denied any role in undervaluing the property.
A third case emerged in May, accusing Sargsyan of accepting a $3 million bribe in early 2008 in exchange for not interfering in the sale of an unnamed private company. Though the accusation was initially filed shortly after Sargsyan was ousted in 2018, it had not progressed until now.
In all four cases, the statute of limitations has already expired, meaning that Sargsyan cannot be imprisoned even if convicted. Nevertheless, the Pashinyan government appears intent on keeping the former president entangled in court proceedings.
Sargsyan’s political allies argue the government’s repeated prosecutions have nothing to do with justice and everything to do with weakening the opposition. “This is not about law enforcement—it’s about eliminating political rivals,” one ally said.
As Armenia faces serious domestic and geopolitical challenges, critics warn that the use of prosecutorial power for political ends only deepens divisions and undermines the already fragile public trust in democratic institutions.1/2
