Armenia’s wealthiest man is in jail, but his family claim the charges are trumped up and he’s the victim of a political witch hunt.
Samvel Karapetyan, worth $4.4 billion, has been in jail for almost three months after being accused of criticizing the country’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan.
The furor started with Pashinyan, who was accused of targeting the country’s prized Apostolic Christian Church in a statement June 8, calling for its head bishop to stand down, accusing him of fathering a child while under a vow of celibacy.
In response, Karapetyan, 60, said in June: “I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people.
“If the politicians do not succeed, we will intervene in our own way in this campaign against the church.”
Karapetyan — a dual Russian-Armenian citizen with significant business interests in both countries — was arrested on June 17 and charged with publicly calling to seize power illegally over his statement.
He has also been charged with tax evasion, fraud and money laundering, according to the Armenian Mirror-Spectator publication.
“There is no longer a true justice system in Armenia when it has to do with anyone who speaks out against our Prime Minister,” Karapetyan’s son, Sargis, claimed to The Post, adding: “There is almost no one significant person left in the political field in Armenia who hasn’t been imprisoned at least once by the current regime.”
The Post could not verify that claim. However, the archbishop, Bagrat Galstanyan, has also been arrested on terrorism charges.
Karapetyan had previously announced plans to form a new opposition political party to challenge Pashinyan, who leads the Civil Contract party.
“The new political force will contain completely new faces in Armenian politics, since there is high demand in the society for such renewal,” Karapetyan’s nephew, Narek, explained to The Post.
“There is a huge team working on all pre-election strategy… we have a deep belief that we are on the side of justice, common sense and what is most important on the side of our people.”
In a statement from jail, Karapetyan has claimed Pashinyan has ruined the country’s relationship with Russia and that he knows how to improve its economy by attracting “major international investors.”
Karapetyan is one of the largest investors and employers in Armenia, through his Tashir Group conglomerate. The group also holds huge contracts in Russia in the construction, retail and energy sectors.
Forbes magazine named Tashir Group the 53rd largest privately held company in Russia in 2021, according to its website.
Karapetyan claims this success has made him a target for the Prime Minister.
In 2015 Tashir Group bought Armenia’s “heavily indebted and mismanaged power distribution network,” according to a report, with a plan to modernize it.
The company, Electric Networks of Armenia, is the country’s sole electricity provider and has been seized and nationalized by the government following Karapetyan being jailed.
This has prompted his family to file a $500 million lawsuit against the government earlier this month.
Armenia giving up territory to Azerbaijan and Pashinyan’s criticisms of the church have seen Prime Minister Pashinyan’s ratings plummet, according to reports on polls online.
“I want to protect one of the last democratic countries in the region … My family and I want to show a united front,” Narek said.
With Post wires