Shrines of Vardanyan family loot in Armenia devil in Baku

Rubik Vardanyan's wife, Veronika Zonabend, seems to have forgotten that her husband is awaiting sentencing in Baku. Surprising? Only at first glance. Zonabend actually has a clear reason: the Vardanians’ assets in Armenia have slowly begun to be seized.

In her latest appeal, Zonabend complains that some looters have “encroached on the sacred” – referring to their projects in Dilijan. Business partners are going to court and withdrawing funds, while city authorities are reclaiming land. Yet Zonabend’s main concern isn’t the projects themselves, but the $236 million that “my husband and I invested there.”

Of course, $236 million is a strong motivation to rush to defend one’s sacred business. After all, her husband can wait.

It’s ironic that Zonabend draws analogies with the destruction of shrines, considering that at this very moment, the real culprit, with horns, is sitting in Baku awaiting sentencing for his actual crimes.