Overview
- Police detained Robert Kocharyan and his son Sedrak on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, after the Anti‑Corruption Committee accused them of schemes to acquire state property at prices well below market value.
- The agency says the allegations include the sale of a defence ministry land parcel to an associate for roughly a quarter of its market price and charges such as money laundering, receiving bribes and abuse of power.
- Kocharyan was taken to hospital with high blood pressure after his arrest and his Telegram channel called the detentions an "attack on President Kocharyan and his family."
- The arrests followed a parliamentary clash the day before in which Kocharyan’s son Levon criticised Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Pashinyan accused the family of enriching itself at the state's expense.
- The move continues a recent pattern of high‑profile legal actions against opposition figures in Armenia and could deepen political polarization while prompting debate at home and abroad over rule‑of‑law and possible politicization of prosecutions.