Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan detained in Armenia

Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan - founder of the "Tashir" group detained in Armenia

This is reported by TUT.AZ with reference to TASS.

Officers from the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia have detained the well-known Russian entrepreneur of Armenian origin, Samvel Karapetyan. Immediately after the detention, supporters of the businessman gathered near the directorate building on Nalbandyan Street. No official comments have yet been received from the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Before getting into the car, Karapetyan emotionally told journalists: "I will continue to stand by our church, by the Armenian people. I don't care about them or their 'Electric Networks'. The people will have their say anyway, and they will understand that they were wrong."

The detention was preceded by a search of the businessman's home conducted on Tuesday. This happened after Karapetyan's resonant statements that "a small group attacked the Armenian church, the Armenian people." The billionaire also warned: "If political figures fail to achieve anything, we will intervene in the campaign against the church in our own way."

According to Forbes ranking, Samvel Karapetyan holds 44th place among Russian billionaires with a fortune of $3.2 billion. He is the owner of the "Tashir" group of companies, the "Rio" chain of shopping and entertainment centers, as well as the "Electric Networks of Armenia" company.

The situation is unfolding against the backdrop of an acute conflict between the businessman and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. In May, the head of government began publicly criticizing the Armenian Apostolic Church, in particular, accused Catholicos Garegin II of violating celibacy and called on him to leave his post. After these statements, Karapetyan openly spoke out in defense of the church.