Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has publicly accused Samvel Karapetyan, a businessman and leader of the "Strong Armenia" bloc, of espionage and acting against the state interests of the country.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, Pashinyan made these allegations in a video statement released on his official Facebook page.
"The 'Kaluga oligarch' (referring to Samvel Karapetyan) should be prosecuted not only for money laundering and the theft of electricity from schools, kindergartens, and military units but also for actions contrary to Armenia's state interests," Pashinyan stated. "This espionage activity will not succeed, and the 'Kaluga oligarch' should prepare for the fact that he will not be able to leave Armenia for the next ten years. He must sit in prison as a spy, an electricity thief, and a money launderer."
Samvel Karapetyan, a prominent figure in Armenian business circles with significant interests in Russia, has frequently been a subject of political discourse in Yerevan. These accusations mark a significant escalation in the tensions between the current Armenian government and opposition-aligned business figures. The political landscape in Armenia has remained volatile, with ongoing debates regarding the influence of oligarchic structures on national policy and the country's economic governance.
