Former Armenian Finance Minister and State Revenue Committee chief Gagik Khachatryan has been detained in a criminal proceeding involving allegations of particularly large-scale bribery and money laundering.
The detention followed searches at Khachatryan’s residence, his son’s residence, and the offices and branches of around 21 companies linked to them. Authorities have not yet disclosed the specific transactions at the center of the latest allegations.
The Prosecutor General’s Office says the public criminal prosecution initiated against Khachatryan in June 2026 has now been amended and supplemented, while a new public criminal prosecution has also been launched against him.
The June case is connected to the proceedings against opposition figure and former Education Minister Armen Ashotyan, former Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan, Khachatryan’s son Artyom Khachatryan and several others.
Investigators allege that officials were involved in removing a 451.1-square-meter property used by Brusov State University from state ownership. The property, valued at about AMD 208.9 million, was later purchased for AMD 75 million in a transaction investigators allege was used to conceal its criminal origin.
Authorities sought Khachatryan’s pretrial detention in that case in June, but the court rejected the request.
Khachatryan has faced repeated criminal cases since 2019, when he was first detained over allegations stemming from his years in government. Separate asset-confiscation proceedings have also been brought against him and individuals linked to him. No publicly documented criminal conviction against Khachatryan has been identified.
One of the most powerful officials of Armenia’s pre-2018 government, Khachatryan headed the State Revenue Committee from 2008 to 2014 and served as finance minister from 2014 to 2016.
His latest detention comes amid a broader series of criminal cases involving former senior officials and opposition figures under Nikol Pashinyan.
