Tsarukyan should be recognized as victim, not defendant, ally says

A senior member of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party claims its leader Gagik Tsarukyan should be recognized as a victim rather than prosecuted, dismissing the criminal case against him as politically motivated.

Speaking outside the Investigative Committee's Department for the Investigation of Economic Crimes and Smuggling on Wednesday, former lawmaker Arman Abovyan described the proceedings as "an empty, fabricated and politically motivated legal farce."

"The situation is crystal clear. What we are witnessing is a classic case of political persecution," Abovyan stated.

Referring to media reports about the criminal case, he said Tsarukyan should have been granted victim status rather than charged.

"Even a cursory review of the media reports makes it clear that Mr. Tsarukyan should not have been recognized as a defendant but as a victim, because the events in question are not new," he said.

Abovyan added that legal proceedings related to the same matter had previously taken place in Iran, where a court found that Tsarukyan had been the victim of fraud and other criminal acts.

He reiterated that the case against the opposition leader lacked any legal basis.

"Justice may be delayed, but it always prevails in the end," Abovyan said.

Tsarukyan has been charged with large-scale fraud and money laundering, which he rejects as politically motivated.