YEREVAN, ARMENIA – The investigative journalism site Hetq reported on Thursday that the Armenian government has approved a measure to allocate 4.2 billion drams (US$ 10.3 million) to pay off the state taxes owed by Gagik Tsarukyan’s Shangri La casino.
Tsarukyan is one of the wealthiest oligarchs in Armenia and is the founder and leader of the Propserous Armenia party.
In June 2020, Tsarukyan had called for Pashinyan’s resignation and replacement of his government. One week later, police searched the businessman’s mansion in Yerevan’s suburbs. A month later, Pashinyan’s government stripped Tsarukyan’s casino of its license. Tsarukyan fought the decision in Armenia’s courts and had the ruling overturned.
Despite his previous opposition to Pashinyan, Tsarukyan has been notably quiet in recent months and has not openly supported the opposition’s “Resistance” movement aimed at forcing Pashinyan to resign, over his anti-Artsakh and pro-Turkish positions. Naturally, this leads to speculation that the Armenian government’s $10 million bailout of Tsarukyan’s casino is a reward for Tsarukyan not joining the opposition’s requests for Pashinyan’s resignation.
