Ex-PM files libel suit: Tigran Sargsyan demands businessman retract offshore scandal-related allegations

Former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, who is currently Armenia’s ambassador to the United States, has filed a lawsuit against former businessman Paylak Hayrapetyan with a demand that he refute the “libelous information” spread about him and pay 1 million AMD (about $2,100) in compensation for moral damages.

Sargsyan demands Hayrapetyan, who is on the verge of bankruptcy, retract some expressions he made in his recent interview with the shamshyan.com website.

“Former Armenian Prime Minister, current Ambassador to the United States Tigran Sargsyan must come, take a test and clarify what he did with the money – $7.5 million, that was transferred to his bank account,” the businessman told the news website, in particular.

For many years Hayrapetyan accused Tigran Sargsyan, one other businessman Ashot Sukiasyan and head of the Ararat Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan of making him go bankrupt and disclosed an offshore deal where the names of the three figured.

Still in the capacity of prime minister Tigran Sargsyan said that he has nothing to do with that deal, and the Investigation Committee dealing with the case since last September has not yet found out whether the signatures in the documents of a Cyprus-registered offshore company Wlispera Holdings Limited belong to the former PM and Archbishop Kchoyan or not.

It is noteworthy that Tigran Sargsyan has not been interrogated within the framework of the case yet, and upon the completed investigation the only accused is businessman Ashot Sukiasyan – he is charged with fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.
The Sargsyan v Hayrapetyan litigation will take place on June 9.