Armenian Opposition Leader Gagik Tsarukyan Charged with Large-Scale Tax Evasion Amid Election Dispute

Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has charged Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan with large‑scale tax evasion and placed a travel ban on him. The indictment was filed two days after the parliamentary election in which his party received 3.996 % of the vote, just below the 4 % threshold needed for representation, and requested recounts in several precincts.

Tsarukyan’s camp described the charges as politically motivated, accusing pro‑government media of bias and alleging that the ruling Civil Contract party seeks to keep his party out of parliament. Under Armenian law a candidate cannot be prosecuted without the Central Electoral Commission’s consent unless caught in the act of a crime; the CEC said no such request was received.

The prosecutor’s office also opened a case against Tsarukyan’s son‑in‑law, former Kotayk governor Karapet Guloyan, and detained two other opposition candidates on suspicion of money‑laundering and vote‑buying, adding further tension to the post‑election environment.