A former Armenian president is detained in a corruption investigation

Armenian prosecutors have detained former President Robert Kocharyan and his eldest son Sedrak as part of a corruption investigation, the country's Anti-Corruption Committee announced. The pair were taken into custody following raids on businesses connected to the family. Kocharyan, 71, currently leads the second-largest opposition bloc in parliament and is accused of abuse of authority, bribery, and large-scale money laundering.

Four other individuals were also detained in the investigation. The raids occurred just 24 hours after a heated exchange between Kocharyan and the younger son, Levon, in parliament. Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee alleges that state assets were illegally sold to private companies at below market value during Kocharyan's leadership from 1998 to 2008.

Serzh Sargsyan, the former president who succeeded Kocharyan, was summoned to the committee's headquarters. Bagrat Mikoyan, head of the committee, called the detentions "another attack on President Kocharyan and his family" and said Kocharyan was taken to a hospital after his arrest. Levon Kocharyan accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of political pressure, alleging that his family's wealth could not have been acquired at public expense.

Robert Kocharyan's political faction dismissed the investigation as a case of personal vengeance and a sign of a regime that has lost its legitimacy.