Lawyer Erik Aleksanyan said searches carried out early in the morning at Izmirlian Medical Center are connected to senior clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church and companies allegedly affiliated with them. He spoke to journalists after the searches at the medical facility.
Earlier, he had stated that the searches at Izmirlian Medical Center were conducted within the framework of a criminal case concerning alleged large-scale tax evasion and money laundering.
Aleksanyan provided some details about the proceedings. According to the factual circumstances, the criminal case was initiated in 2025; a report was submitted on October 8, and proceedings were launched on October 9. He drew attention to the fact that a decision to conduct searches was made only four months after the case was opened.
“From 2015 to 2025, Izmirlian Medical Center purchased goods and medical supplies for its needs from companies allegedly affiliated with senior clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church at higher prices, despite allegedly having the opportunity to obtain those supplies at lower cost from direct importers and manufacturers. In this way, large profits were generated for companies affiliated with high-ranking clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, allegedly evading taxes on an especially large scale and subsequently conducting certain transactions to allegedly legalize the corresponding funds,” Aleksanyan said.
He noted that there is no specific information identifying particular senior clergy members. As for the numerical indicators, he said he could not disclose them due to the secrecy of the preliminary investigation.
Aleksanyan emphasized that, in essence, the case concerns the Armenian Apostolic Church and “fits within the framework of a campaign against the Church.”
In addition to certain documents, money was also taken from Armen Charchyan’s office, although this was not mentioned in the search warrant. According to the decision, the investigative body is authorized to seize accounting documents and electronic storage devices, but there is no reference to the seizure of funds.
Lawyer Ruben Melikyan, commenting on the search at the office of Izmirlian Medical Center director Armen Charchyan, wrote on his Facebook page that it is “another repression against the Church.”
“Regrettably, I must note that in our country ‘law enforcement’ bodies have fully turned into political structures serving the narrow interests of the ruling political force and personally its leader. In their work, what is called the ‘interest of law’ is melting away like a candle. In other words, they preserve the formal, procedural side of the law, but the substantive, value-based side has nothing to do with genuine legality — the package says ‘candy,’ but inside there is something else. There are countless facts proving this.
Therefore, even without hearing the Investigative Committee’s clarifications, it can already be stated that the search underway at the Izmirlian Medical Center belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is another repression by the current regime against our Mother Church and has nothing to do with the rule of law and legality,” Melikyan wrote.
The Investigative Committee stated that investigative actions are being carried out in the office of Izmirlian Medical Center director Armen Charchyan as part of a criminal case.
According to Armenpress, the proceedings were initiated on suspicion of tax evasion and money laundering.
