Saturday, Authorities ‘Still Hunting’ For Sarkisian’s Fugitive Brother • Naira Nalbandian Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian awards a medal to his brother Levon, March 22, 2016. Armenian law-enforcement authorities have so far been unable to track down and arrest a fugitive brother of former President Serzh Sarkisian facing corruption charges, Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian claimed on Friday. Levon Sarkisian was charged with “illegal enrichment” after tax inspectors discovered in June that he and his two children hold almost $7 million in undeclared deposits at an Armenian bank. Under Armenian law, such asset declarations are mandatory for high-ranking state officials and their family members. This legal requirement applies to Levon Sarkisian because he worked as ambassador-at-large at the Armenian Foreign Ministry until his brother was overthrown in last spring’s “velvet revolution.” Levon Sarkisian is thought to have left Armenia shortly before being indicted. One of his business partners, Gabriel Jemberjian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service in December that Sarkisian is now living abroad but planning to return to Armenia because “his issues should be solved very soon.” The head of the National Security Service (NSS), Artur Vanetsian, stated recently that the ex-president’s brother is in Lebanon at the moment. Davtian downplayed Vanetsian’s statement, arguing that it has not yet been officially confirmed by Lebanese authorities. “We can start an extradition process only if he is found and arrested [in a foreign country] and we are formally notified about that,” the chief prosecutor told reporters. “That has not happened yet.” Also prosecuted is Serzh Sarkisian’s second, more controversial brother, Aleksandr. He was charged with fraud in February several months after the NSS had his $30 million bank account frozen as part of a separate criminal inquiry. The NSS announced early this month that it has allowed Aleksandr Sarkisian to “temporarily” leave the country after he donated $19.6 million of that money to the Armenian military. Sarkisian, who is better known as “Sashik,” also paid $6.5 million in back taxes. The nearly $3.9 million remaining in his frozen account will also be transferred to the state to fully settle his tax debt, according to the NSS. Press Review Lragir.am quotes a former Azerbaijani foreign minister, Tofik Zulfugarov, as predicting that Friday’s meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian will end in failure. He says that the conflicting parties will fail to bridge their substantial differences on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The online publication suggests that summit’s possible failure would lead to either a continued “imitation” of peace talks or an escalation of tensions of the Karabakh frontlines. “The Armenian side is reviewing the whole negotiating process and demanding a public interpretation [by Baku and the mediators] of the proposed principles [of the Karabakh settlement,]” it says. “Zhoghovurd” describes as “quite sharp” Pashinian’s criticism of the United States which he voiced on Thursday. “It is the first time that Pashinian spoke about the United States in such a tough manner,” comments the paper. It notes that he also criticized the European Union during and after a July 2018 visit to Brussels and stressed the importance of respecting Armenia’s sovereignty in his first talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Why did at least 95 percent of the public support the revolution in April last year?” writes “Haykakan Zhamanak.” “Because at least 95 percent of the public felt that Armenia needs radical changes, and in all areas.” The pro-government daily does not exclude that Pashinian’s approval ratings have fallen since then. But it insists that even those Armenians who are now disappointed with the prime minister continue to demand radical changes. They are only unhappy with the pace of those changes, it says. Some of them may also not like government efforts to make every citizen pay taxes, the planned downsizing of the state bureaucracy or a perceived lack of individuals jailed for corruption, according to the paper. (Lilit Harutiunian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org