American-Armenian businessman Edmond Khudyan, who claims he’s been swindled out of millions in a case involving his Arin Capital & Investment Corporation, says he’s planning to take the government of Armenia to court.

Khudyan, in his statement, laments the fact that he has not been able to pursue his legal case in Armenia’s court system and that his so-called business partners in Armenia are protected by top ranking officials in government.

Deputy Minister of Diaspora Affairs Davit Karapetyan said during a press conference regarding such cases that the ministry can only afford free legal advice and has no jurisdiction to pursue such matters in the courts.

He argued that according to the RA Constitution the courts are a independent branch of the government.

Khudyan’s attorney, Nikolai Baghdasaryan, responded to this statement rhetorically. “The government allocates 1.366 million AMD to the Chamber of Advocates and that amount has doubled so that such advice will be again be provided to diaspora Armenians. So why is the Diaspora Ministry conducting such work when professional lawyers are providing the same?”

Edmond Khudyan, who participated in the interview via a video link-up, declared that he had received no assistance from the Ministry and that the Armenian court system was committing a crime by covering up the case.

Lernik Hovhannisyan, another Khudyan lawyer, said there was no information regarding what steps the investigative body working the case had conducted during the past year.

“We know the people who should be charged. Company director Edward Yesayan failed to pay some 139 million AMD in taxes. The developer Vlad Mangasaryan has embezzled millions of dollars by forging Khudyan’s signature but he has yet to be charged,” stated Hovhannisyan, adding that it appears that the RA Prosecutor General has issued instructions not to examine the case at all.