US Government Seeks to Seize Mansion Owned by Gagik Khachatryan in Los Angeles

The Associated Press reports that the US federal government aims to seize a mega-mansion located in the prestigious Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, allegedly purchased with millions in bribes, according to 1lurer.am.

These funds were paid to Armenia’s former Minister of Finance Gagik Khachatryan and his sons. According to the complaint filed by the US Department of Justice, the house was bought in 2011 for $14.4 million in the names of Khachatryan and his two sons.

Khachatryan served as the president of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia from 2008 to 2014 and as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2016.

The US government claims that wealthy and influential businessman Sedrak Arustamyan paid Khachatryan and his family $20 million in bribes in exchange for favorable tax conditions for his businesses. The indictment states that part of this money was used to purchase the Holmby Hills mansion.

The government alleges that the house was illegally acquired using proceeds from a crime committed against a foreign state, related to the bribery of a public official.