While Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan remains in pretrial detention, Pashinyan’s government has seized control of two more businesses linked to the opposition leader, with the Yerevan Ararat factory placed under state management and the former Multi Wellness sports complex taken over by Yerevan Municipality, renamed Yerevan Wellness Center, and reopened under municipal management.
The developments come just days after Pashinyan’s government assumed control of Ararat Cement, one of Armenia’s largest cement producers. Together, they represent a rapid expansion of state and municipal control over businesses previously associated with one of the country’s most prominent opposition figures.
According to Yerevan Municipality, the former Multi Wellness complex will continue operating under municipal management, while existing memberships will remain valid despite the change in operator.
Tsarukyan is currently being held in pretrial detention for two months on charges of fraud on an especially large scale and money laundering. Prosecutors are also seeking the confiscation of 75 real estate properties, 42 vehicles, stakes in 38 companies, and approximately AMD 106 billion in assets and funds they allege were acquired illegally.
The Tsarukyan case follows Pashinyan’s government’s takeover of Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) from businessman Samvel Karapetyan after his public confrontation with Pashinyan over the Armenian Apostolic Church. Karapetyan was subsequently arrested and remains under house arrest while criminal proceedings continue.
Taken together, the Tsarukyan and Karapetyan cases suggest a broader pattern. Two of Pashinyan’s most prominent political opponents have seen major business assets transferred into state or municipal management through legal proceedings, raising fundamental questions about the relationship between political power, criminal investigations, and private property in Armenia.
