Serzh Sargsyan appears before Armenia’s anti-corruption committee

Armenia’s third president, Serzh Sargsyan, has appeared before the country’s Anti-Corruption Committee.

Armenian media outlets reported that Sargsyan arrived at the committee’s building on Monday.

Speaking to journalists as he entered the building, Sargsyan said he did not know why he had been summoned.

Earlier, Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced that criminal proceedings had been initiated against the country’s second president, Robert Kocharyan.

Kocharyan has been charged with abuse of official powers in three episodes, receiving bribes on an especially large scale in two episodes, and money laundering involving particularly large sums in four episodes.

Criminal proceedings have also been launched against nine other individuals as part of the same case, including Sargsyan, who served as Armenia’s defense minister and prime minister at different times.

The Prosecutor General’s Office also named Kocharyan’s son, Sedrak Kocharyan; former Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan; businessman Samvel Mayrapetyan; former Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan; and several other individuals among those involved in the case.