SRC Chairman assures: No political element in Tsarukyan case

ArmInfo. There is no political element in the case involving Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), as stated by Eduard Hakobyan, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC), to reporters at the Armenian parliament on June 11.

As the SRC Chairman clarified, the case concerns tax evasion in the  diesel fuel import sector. He assured that the criminal case  regarding this matter had been initiated a long time ago. Hakobyan  disagreed with the opposition's view that the case carries political  undertones, despite being brought forward immediately following the  June 7 parliamentary elections in Armenia.

"I do not believe this is a targeted coincidence. However, our  colleagues from the Investigative Committee (IC) of Armenia will be  able to provide more detailed comments on this matter, as it  currently falls under their jurisdiction. Any further clarifications  regarding this case should be directed to the IC," Hakobyan stated.

The SRC Chairman also sought to justify Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan's campaign rhetoric regarding Tsarukyan. When asked whether  there was a direct link between the Prime Minister's statements about  "the need to imprison the three-headed party of war" and the legal  proceedings against the PAP leader, Hakobyan asserted that if  Pashinyan makes a statement, it means he is well-informed about the  ongoing processes.

"If the Prime Minister speaks about this, it means he knows  something. Therefore, I view such statements as natural. Moreover,  both we and the Investigative Committee periodically issue public  disclosures of this nature. That is to say, we routinely highlight  issues within the business sector or report on cases involving the  shadow economy. This is simply one of those cases, and it is obvious  that the Prime Minister is aware of them. I believe he is fully  entitled to make such statements if the need arises," the SRC  Chairman noted.

At the same time, Hakobyan maintained that his agency reviews the  activities of economic entities strictly through the lens of legal  compliance, rather than focusing on any specific individual. "It is  simply obvious that if a person is connected to these processes—for  instance, as a director or an owner—they are directly or indirectly  involved. Our focus remains on the entities. Therefore, there is no  political element here; we are simply managing risks," Hakobyan  concluded.