Coup Charges Against Russian-Armenian Tycoon Seen as Retaliation for Criticism of Pashinyan

Samvel Karapetyan

Hours after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan vowed to go after Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan for comments he made in support of the Armenian Church, law enforcement officials raided the villa of the tycoon, who later surrendered to police.

Karapetyan was charged on Wednesday for inciting a coup and was remanded to pre-trial detention for two months.

Pashinyan was infuriated by Karapetyan who condemned the prime minister’s recent and ongoing campaign against the Armenian Church, the Catholicos Karekin II and other high-ranking clerics.

“A small group, having forgotten Armenian history and the millennia-old legacy of the Armenian Church, has attacked both the Church and the Armenian people. I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people. If political leaders fail, we will intervene in our own way,” Karapetyan told News.am on Tuesday from the Holy See of Etchmiadzin.

An angry Pashinyan responded with a series of social media posts in which he admitted ordering law-enforcement authorities to punish Karapetyan. It did not take long for law enforcement officials to surround the tycoon’s villa, but they were met with family members and supporters who did not allow police entry to the compound.

This promoted the deployment of masked National Security Service officers, who later handcuffed Karapetyan at around 3 a.m. local time, after the standoff at his villa ended.

“I will never give up my principles and values, because at their core is Armenia itself, the boundless respect and love for my homeland, our traditions, our history, our Church,” Karapetyan said in a written statement. “Dear compatriots, I am confident that we will unite and be able to find a way out of the severe situation our country is in.”

Pashinyan said that he intends to nationalize one of Karapetyan largest holdings in Armenia, the Electric Networks of Armenia. The Russian-Armenian businessman also owns the Tashir Group, which operates the Tashir restaurant chain, among other businesses.

“I think the time has come to nationalize Electric Networks of Armenia,” Pashinyan wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday morning. “It will happen quickly.”

Pashinyan, in another post, accused ENA of deliberately creating an “energy crisis” in Armenia aimed at sowing opposition and discontent with the government.

In what appeared to be a related development, Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission said on Wednesday it has decided to fine ENA 10 million drams ($25,000) for “technical and commercial violations” detected during a February audit. The head of the regulatory body, Mesrop Mesropyan, denied any connection between the move and Pashinyan’s crackdown on the ENA owner.

The State Food Safety Inspectorate also has launched inspections across 30 branches of the Tashir Pizza restaurant chain. The inspections, officially attributed to routine regulatory procedures, have been interpreted by some as part of a coordinated pressure campaign.

Armenia’s National Security Service director Armen Abazyan was fired on Wednesday.

Pashinyan was asked by reporters on whether Abazyan’s arrest was link to the Karapetyan issue. The prime minister declined to explain.

“I think he deserves to rest a bit,” Pashinyan said. “He has worked [as NSS director] in tense conditions for five years. I think you understand that it hasn’t been easy.”