The body of Boris Avagyan, a former Artsakh official, was found dead at the Armenian consulate in St. Petersburg.

Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti, citing local police, reports that Avagyan, who served as a special envoy to the former Karabakh presidency, likely committed suicide.

Avagyan was accused in Russia of evading customs payments.

Charges were later dropped after Avagyan signed a contract with the Russian defense ministry in August to fight for Russia in Ukraine. He reneged on the contract, and the tax evasion case was reopened.

Armenpress reports that Avagyan, who faced custom payments evasion charges in Russia, had fled the courtroom during a September 23 bail hearing on the pretext of “going out to smoke.”

The news site reports that Avagyan went to the consulate to turn himself in and request extradition to Armenia, where he is wanted for money laundering and illegal border crossing.  

Avagyan, who cofounded a customs brokerage firm in St. Petersburg, also served in various Russian regional government agencies. His last job was at the Office of the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography for the Leningrad Region.