As a result of comprehensive and efficient preliminary investigation conducted within the criminal proceeding investigated in General Department for Investigation of Crimes against the State, Fundamentals of the Constitutional Order and Public Security of the RA Investigative Committee, factual data were obtained on the allegation that during 2008 G.Ts. got acquainted with G.T., Lebanese-Armenian businessman, and proposed that they jointly engage in the sale of gold jewelry.

For the purpose of carrying out the aforementioned business activity, the company was state-registered in 2009, with G.Ts. and G.T. registered as shareholders holding 50% ownership interests each, and S.A. elected as the company's Chief Executive Officer.

At the same time, in mid-2009, G.T. proposed to G.Ts. that they establish a bottled drinking water factory in the village of Akunk, Kotayk region, agreeing to jointly purchase a plot of land in Akunk, after which G.Ts. undertook to construct the factory building, while G.T. undertook to arrange for the purchase of the production line and its transportation to the RA.

Between December 2009 and 5 August 2010, inclusive, G.T. shipped to the RA 19 pieces of equipment required for the operation of the drinking water factory. However, the packaging equipment could not be delivered within the prescribed timeframe due to the supplier company's failure to act.

Thereafter, on  August 17, 2010, S.A. and G.Z., acting as part of a group and with the direct intent to extort and unlawfully obtain G.T.'s ownership interest, threatened G.T. with violence in the garden of G.TS..'s residence located in the village of Arinj, demanding that he sign certain documents. Under the influence of those threats, G.T. appeared before a notary on the same day and executed a promissory undertaking and granted a power of attorney. Based on those documents, on  March 14, 2011, a "Share Purchase Agreement" was concluded between H.G. and S.A., pursuant to which G.T.'s 50% ownership interest in the company's charter capital was transferred to S.A. In this manner, by threatening tօ use violence, they allegedly committed extortion in particularly large amount - 2.5 million USD.

Thereafter, G.Ts. and S.A., with the intent to conceal and misrepresent the criminal origin of the gold jewelry and the company's 50% ownership interest, integrated the company's operations into the legitimate business activities of companies affiliated with them, while attributing the gold jewelry to their other lawful sources of income. As a result, through a lawful transaction, they allegedly concealed and misrepresented the criminal origin and true nature of the rights to the company: namely, that the ownership interest had been acquired through extortion, thereby committing money laundering in particularly large amount. 

Based on the collected evidence public criminal prosecution was initiated against G.Ts. and S.A. according to the Point 2 of the Part 3 of the Article 182 and the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 190 of RA Criminal Code adopted on 18.04.2003. 

Considering that G.Ts. and S.A. are detained within another criminal proceeding investigated in the Investigative Committee, no pretrial measure was applied against them. 

Preliminary investigation of the criminal proceeding is ongoing.