FORMER PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN DETAINED, ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25 /SRNA-Reuters/ - Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has been detained on suspicion of corruption during his time in office.

Kocharyan, now an opposition leader, was detained on the orders of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Armenia’s Prosecutor General said that Kocharyan, who served as president from 1998 to 2008, had used his position to transfer state property to himself and his associates on favorable terms, and had also falsified documents to conceal its unlawful origin.

After being re-elected to office in June, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan carried out a series of actions targeting his staunchest opponents, including opposition politicians, church leaders, and civil society organizations.