Has the Criminal Case Against Gagik Tsarukyan Been Dropped?

The criminal case against Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia party, regarding alleged electoral bribery has been closed by the National Security Service, reports the newspaper Hraparak.

Tsarukyan's lawyer, Emin Khachatryan, has submitted a motion to the Prosecutor's Office to dismiss the case.

In response to the media's inquiry, the Prosecutor's Office urged to send a written request, while the lawyer did not deny that a motion had been submitted but stated that he was unaware whether the case had indeed been closed or not. Khachatryan also mentioned that no investigative actions have been conducted against Tsarukyan for a considerable amount of time.

It is noted that this case has been under investigation for approximately three years, dating back to June 2020, and pertains to the 2017 elections. According to the accusations, electoral bribes were distributed in favor of the Prosperous Armenia party, and several citizens had provided testimonies. In connection with this case, former MP Abraham Manukyan was detained in 2020 but was later released by the court.