Interfax – Russia & CIS General Newswire
Tuesday 11:53 AM MSK
Nephew of billionaire Karapetyan charged with extortion in Armenia
YEREVAN. July 16
Narek Karapetyan, the nephew of President of Russia's Tashir Group of Companies billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, has been charged by the Armenian authorities with large-scale extortion, the press service of the Armenian Investigative Committee said.
According to the committee, Karapetyan and another man from Yerevan are suspected of beating up a local entrepreneur and extorting $10 million from him.
Businessman Vage Parazyan told local media earlier that he had been beaten up and a large amount of money had been extorted from him in early July.
A criminal investigation was opened on charges of large-scale extortion and beating or other violent actions, Armenia's Investigative Committee said.
Travel restrictions have been imposed on Narek Karapetyan and the second Armenian citizen.
Vage Parazyan told Armenian media that his father, Ashot Parazyan, had previously worked with Samvel Karapetyan in Moscow and had run a construction business, but relations between the two families had worsened because of conflicting business interests. The Parazyan family moved back to Armenia after the change of power in the country.
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