The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has opened a criminal case against Gagik Tsarukyan.

The head of the Prosperous Armenia Party, Gagik Tsarukyan, is suspected of tax evasion on an especially large scale and is banned from leaving the country.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", the Civil Contract Party, headed by the current Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, won the parliamentary elections. Commenting on its victory, Pashinyan stated that the three-headed war party has been defeated (referring to the Strong Armenia bloc, the Armenia bloc, and the Prosperous Armenia Party). The Armenian opposition demanded a recount of votes at 555 polling stations.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has opened a criminal case against Gagik Tsarukyan.

"Criminal prosecution has been initiated under paragraph 2 of part 3 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (tax evasion on an especially large scale). A travel ban has been chosen as a preventive measure," the agency's press service reported today to News.am.

Gagik Tsarukyan's press secretary, Iveta Tonoyan, today denied reports that he allegedly He tried to leave Armenia.

"Tsarukyan was told at passport control at the airport that some things needed to be clarified. He replied that nothing needed to be clarified, and if it led to a different interpretation, he would cancel the trip and return home," Tatoyan wrote on her Facebook page*.

Tsarukyan and his wife had planned this short trip of two to three days well in advance, Tatoyan continued. "I understand that state media in modern Armenia have the right to write whatever they want, but there are things that are truly unacceptable," she noted.

As a reminder, analysts previously interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" noted that the Prosperous Armenia Party of oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan, the Armenia bloc of former President Robert Kocharyan, and the Strong Armenia bloc of businessman Samvel Karapetyan are the most pro-Russian participants in the Armenian parliamentary elections.

Earlier, Russian authorities imposed trade restrictions on Armenia. Rosselkhoznadzor has temporarily restricted the import of flowers from Armenia since May 22, 2026, and fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, and strawberries since May 30. The import of all batches of Armenian mineral water "Jermuk" and a number of cognacs and wines to Russia was also stopped, and the import of fish from Armenia was significantlyrestricted.

Starting June 2, Rosselkhoznadzor extended the ban to fresh grapes and stone fruits, including cherries, and starting June3 - to potatoes, eggplants, pome fruits, and dried fruits.

The parliamentary elections effectively became a referendum on the future of the current government and Armenia's foreign policy, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia".

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.