Within the criminal proceeding investigated in the Division of Investigation of Grave Crimes of Yerevan Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee new circumstances of extortion, swindling and money laundering in particularly large amount committed by Artak Galstyan, leader of “Public Voice” party were found out.
 

As it was already informed, the leaders of the party “Public Voice” Artak Galstyan and Vardan Ghukasyan, with prior agreement, with the intent to extort money in particularly large amount from T.A., threatening to disseminate defamatory information damaging rights and legal interests about him and his wife, in March, 2022 through a telephone call demanded money in particularly large amount 110.000 USD tantamount to 53.806.500 AMD. Being refused by T.A. V. Ghukasyan realized his and Artak Galstyan’s threats and between 2022 and 2023 published defamatory information about T.A. and his wife for several times on his page opened on youtube.com video publishing site.
 

Besides, A. Galstyan with prior agreement with the executive director of LLC S. Sargsyan, H. Khachatryan, concealing their real intention by signing an agreement on paid service related to showing legal assistance to a citizen within a legal procedure of taking up her daughter’s care, from April, 2021 to March, 2023 received from the woman 5.122.150 AMD in parts by transfer or cash through S. Sargsyan, stole it by fraudulence causing the woman pecuniary damage in particularly large amount.
 

Artak Galstyan, with prior agreement with Hayk Khachatryan, in the office of the mentioned party made false promises to K.A. to make public the case of not returning the amount of 34.000 USD by the lessor invested by K.A. to establish a food court in Hrazdan town of Kotayk region through Vardan Ghukasyan”, in case K.A. transferred 8.000.000 AMD to Artak Galstyan. In the result of this, the return of 34.000 USD as well as 8.000.000 AMD to be given to them would be ensured. K.A. informed his friend Sh. A. about the content of the mentioned conversation and introduced him to Hayk Khachatryan.

After it on June 23, 2022, in order to disguise the crime planned by the group and give a civil-legal character to it, Hayk Khachatryan signed a loan agreement with Sh.A to return the sum of 8,000,000 AMD in two months and the next day receiving the mentioned amount in hand from Sh.A., went to the office of the party “Public Voice” with K.A.. In the office, by Artak Galstyan’s instruction, Hayk Khachatryan gave a part of the swindled money – 6.000.000 AMD to the person engaged in lawyer’s activity and kept the rest of the money – 2.000.000 AMD with him to give 1.000.000 AMD of it to V. GHukasyan.
 

Over the next few days in order to create the illusion of fulfillment of promises made to the victim, Vardan Ghukasyan referred to the above-mentioned issue, however the members of the criminal group did not take up any process to solve the property problems of K.A. and in this way stole the latter’s money in particularly large amount – 8.000.000 AMD.

In the result of large-scale investigative and procedural actions conducted during preliminary investigation new factual data were obtained on the allegation that A. Galstyan reached prior agreement with S. Sargsyan, executive director of the LLC engaged in lawyer’s activity and H. Khachatryan, on concealing and distorting the criminal origin of 6.000.000 AMD to be swindled from Sh.A. by fraudulence. For this purpose, under the pretext of carrying out H. Khachatryan’s defense within the criminal proceeding investigated in the Investigative Division of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of the RA Investigative Committee, on June 23, 2022 the director of the LLC signed a formal agreement with the latter on paid services pursuant to which S. Sargsyan formally took up H. Khachatryan’s defense for 6.000.000 AMD.
 

It was also found out that Artak Galstyan with prior agreement with K. and L. Ghukasyans, V. Ghukasyan known with a nickname “Dog”, through blackmail, threatening to disseminate defamatory information about Sh.B and his relatives damaging their rights and legal interests, in September, 2022 demanded money in particularly large amount from Sh.B..

Particularly, in autumn, 2022 A. Galstyan, sisters K. and L. Ghukasyans and V. Ghukasyan learning that Sh.b. was going to marry and was organizing a wedding party, threatening to disseminate defamatory information about Sh.B. on the Internet, through blackmail planned to extort property in particularly large amount from him. K. Ghukasyan acquired the wedding photos of Sh.B., his relatives, called Sh.B. and demanded that he should buy an apartment for her, as well as to give her money threatening to disseminate the wedding photos and defamatory information through her brother V. Ghukasyan on the Internet. Being refused, K. Ghukasyan gave the photos to Vardan Ghukasyan and the latter referred to Sh.B., inserted his and his relatives’ photos using sexual swearing on his YouTube channels.
 

In order to get out of the situation and solve the problem, at Sh.B.’s request a meeting was organized in the office of the party “Public Voice” with Artak Galstyan, who, in order to give a final solution to the issue, demanded that Sh.B. should buy 3–4  apartments tantamount to 500.000 USD for K.Ghukasyan. As a result of negotiating the amount of the monetary claim presented to him, Artak Galstyan demanded that Sh.B. should give 100.000 USD tantamount to 38.817.000 AMD. Due to the threats presented to him, the latter sold his car of “Ford Mustang” make and through a telephone call told A. Galstyan about it. The latter sent him K.Ghukasyan’s bank account to transfer the money, however in order to conceal the real nature, origin, location, movement of the money received as a result of criminal activity, he called Sh.B. again and demanded that he should give the money in hand.

On March 4, 2023 in the office of the party “Public Voice” the citizen gave 15.000 USD of the demanded 100.000 USD to A. Galstyan. Realizing the criminal origin of the amount, on behalf of a lawyer of the company cooperating with them Artak Galstyan made a document titled “Conciliation agreement” on Sh.B.'s commitment to pay 15,000 USD to K. Ghukasyan and to pay another 85,000 USD in the future for withdrawing the claim in the court case being investigated in connection with a personal matter. The parties signed the mentioned document concealing and distorting the real nature, source of the property received in a criminal way. A. Galstyan gave 2.800 USD from the mentioned amount to K. Ghukasyan and her sister.
 

On the base of the obtained new facts the charge pressed against A. Galstyan changed and charge was pressed against him according to the Point 3 of the Part 3 of the Article 258 (2 counts), the Point 3 of the Part 3 of the Article 255 (2 counts) and the Point 3 of the Part 3 of the Article 296 (2 counts) of RA Criminal Code. The charges of several other persons accused in the mentioned proceeding were also added.
 

Preliminary investigation is ongoing.
 

Note; Everyone charged with alleged crime offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.