Police in Armenia today detained the country’s former president, Robert Kocharyan, and his eldest son Sedrak as part of a sweeping corruption investigation.

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee staffers are conducting searches of commercial enterprises owned by the Kocharyans.

Law enforcement officers are also searching the house of Robert Kocharyan’s younger son, National Assembly deputy Levon Kocharyan.  

Anti-Corruption Committee Press Secretary Marina Ohanjanyan told Hetq that the searches are related to corruption charges but provided no details.

It all started yesterday, August 24, 2026, with a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly between Robert Kocharyan’s son, MP Levon Kocharyan, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Levon Kocharyan said in his speech that the people are asking opposition parties , “why that scoundrel, the traitor, is still here” (referring to Pashinyan, -ed.).

Kocharyan’s remarks visibly angered Pashinyan.

“Why are you a millionaire, and why is your family a millionaire? You go north of the city, it’s yours, you go south, it’s yours, you go west, it’s yours, you go east. well, at what expense are you a millionaire? Okay, let’s put everything aside, can you explain that? You’ve been in power for ten years, and I’ve been prime minister for eight. Why are you a millionaire, I’m not a millionaire,”  Pashinyan responded, addressing Levon Kocharyan.

Pashinyan said that wealth will not be inherited and will be returned to the state piece by piece.

Shortly after his detention, Robert Kocharyan's health deteriorated due to high blood pressure. Emergency services transferred him from custody to a medical facility for examination, noting he had recently undergone a medical procedure.

UPDATE: The Anti-Corruption Committee later reported that its investigation has uncovered information suggesting that former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, acting with the prior agreement of people close to him, used his official position to remove several valuable public and economic properties from state ownership under fabricated pretexts and acquire them at prices far below market value.

The corruption investigation also led to the detention of four other individuals.