Arrest Warrant Issued for Ruben Hayrapetyan's Son and His Friend

The Investigative Committee of Armenia reports that extensive investigative and procedural actions have revealed details regarding the alleged crimes committed by Ruben Hayrapetyan, his son, and their associates against the executive director of the family-owned "Harsnakar" restaurant-hotel complex.

According to the collected evidence, from August 27, 2015, H. Sh. worked as the executive director of the "Harsnakar" complex, which belongs to Ruben Hayrapetyan's family and is owned by his son. Between December 2015 and July 2016, H. Sh. obtained a loan of 52 million AMD from the Armenian Bank owned by the Hayrapetyan family. Part of this loan was used for the regular operations of the restaurant complex, while 30 million AMD was used without the owners' knowledge to establish a personal taxi service.

Upon learning of these transactions, Ruben Hayrapetyan and his son, Rafik Hayrapetyan, organized a group of individuals to forcibly detain H. Sh. against his will starting from July 26, 2016, at various locations within the "Harsnakar" complex. They confiscated his mobile phone, applied physical violence, and threatened him with severe bodily harm, subjecting him to continuous torture until August 18, 2016.

On July 26, 2016, Rafik Hayrapetyan transported H. Sh. to their home in Yerevan. His father, Ruben, demanded $120,000 from H. Sh. while verbally abusing him, after which H. Sh. was returned to the "Harsnakar" complex. The next day, Ruben ordered H. Sh. to come to his office, where, in front of Rafik, he subjected H. Sh. to severe torment, including electric shocks, to enforce his demand for $120,000.

To prevent H. Sh. from escaping, Ruben and Rafik instructed their accomplices to monitor him on the premises of the complex during this period. On August 13, 2016, under their control, H. Sh. was forced to conduct transactions for the sale of vehicles registered under his name and to secure loans from credit organizations.

Throughout this ordeal, psychological pressure was also applied to H. Sh., compelling him to perform degrading tasks in front of the complex staff. Under duress, he was made to contact his family members and hand over a total equivalent of 120,000 USD, yielding valuable items such as vehicles and jewelry.

Following the receipt of some funds and the termination of H. Sh.'s responsibilities as director on August 15, 2016, he was released on August 18. However, the Hayrapetyans, through intermediaries, registered the ownership of his home in October 2016, significantly harming H. Sh.'s and his family's legal rights and interests.

Based on the collected evidence, Ruben and Rafik Hayrapetyan, along with two other members of their group, have been accused under several articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia related to unlawful deprivation of liberty and bodily harm. An arrest warrant has been issued for Rafik and two accomplices, with motions filed for pre-trial detention in Yerevan's General Jurisdiction Court.

It is important to note that on May 19, 2020, Ruben Hayrapetyan contacted the investigator, stating he was in Moscow and wished to return to Armenia but was unable to due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Armenian Investigative Committee requested assistance from the Armenian Embassy in Russia to facilitate his return.

The investigation is ongoing.