Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has been placed under a travel ban. He remains free, but cannot leave the country without permission, according to the press service of the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia.

Yesterday, Sargsyan was charged in the case brought against the second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan. He is accused of abuse of office. According to the Anti-Corruption Committee, this is under Part 2 of Article 308 of the previous Criminal Code of Armenia, which corresponds to Clause 5 of Part 2 of Article 441 of the current code.

The case itself involves a broader circle of former officials and business representatives. Robert Kocharyan has been charged with nine counts, including abuse of office, accepting bribes on an especially large scale, and money laundering. Nine other individuals are being prosecuted in the same case, including Serzh Sargsyan, his former government colleague, and other defendants.

On August 25, investigators detained Robert Kocharyan and his eldest son, Sedrak. Today, the court remanded Sedrak Kocharyan in custody for two months.

After his arrest, the elder Kocharyan was hospitalized due to deteriorating health. The question of his pretrial detention is to be decided separately.

According to investigators, during Kocharyan's presidency, individuals close to him may have abused their official position to illegally acquire state property and real estate at below-market prices. The prosecutor's office also announced the seizure of property associated with the former president's family to prevent its possible alienation.

Serzh Sargsyan served as President of Armenia from 2008 to 2018. Prior to that, he served as the country's Minister of Defense and Prime Minister.