Prosecutor-General Anna Vardapetyan has petitioned the Armenian parliament to authorize criminal charges against two opposition lawmakers, escalating political tensions in the country.
The lawmakers in question are Hovik Aghazaryan, a former member of the ruling Civil Contract party, and Taron Markaryan, who served as Yerevan’s mayor from 2011 to 2018. While both face indictments in separate criminal cases, neither has been arrested.
Aghazaryan was among seven officials, including Armenia’s top judicial officer, whom Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan pressured to resign via text messages last November. He was the only one who refused.
In the weeks that followed, Aghazaryan became the subject of a criminal investigation, and his personal communications were allegedly accessed by Pashinyan and shared with senior Civil Contract officials. The party expelled him on December 3, and the next day, Pashinyan openly called for his prosecution and removal from parliament.
“Do not doubt for a moment that all legal means will be used to achieve that goal,” the prime minister declared in the National Assembly, where his party holds a majority.
Despite these actions, Aghazaryan has remained defiant, forming his own political party and vowing to challenge Pashinyan’s leadership.
Vardapetyan’s petition, announced Wednesday, states that investigators intend to charge the 65-year-old lawmaker with bribery and influence peddling. Prosecutors allege that Aghazaryan accepted a $23,000 kickback from a private developer in exchange for helping secure a construction permit in Yerevan. Additionally, they claim he demanded at least $200,000 in 2023 from two entrepreneurs seeking to bypass government regulations on livestock exports.
Aghazaryan has denied the accusations, with his lawyer dismissing them as political retaliation for his defiance of Pashinyan.
The Armenian parliament is set to debate the request to lift the immunity of both Aghazaryan and Markaryan on March 25.
Markaryan, affiliated with former President Serzh Sargsyan’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), is facing charges of money laundering, abuse of power, and the illegal privatization of municipal land. He has yet to respond to the allegations.
Eduard Sharmazanov, the HHK’s spokesperson, condemned the charges as politically motivated, accusing Pashinyan of using them to “divert public attention from real problems” and bolster his waning popularity ahead of key elections.
