The Prosecutor General's Office has filed a lawsuit to overturn the privatization of Ararat Cement.

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The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia filed a lawsuit demanding the annulment of the privatization of the Ararat Cement plant, which belongs to Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the Ararat Cement plant, which belongs to the family of Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party, would be nationalized. Following this, the Prosecutor General's Office issued a statement stating that numerous violations had been identified during the company's privatization process and that a criminal case had been opened.

On June 5, the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit to protect state interests based on violations uncovered during the privatization of the Ararat Cement Plant, ARKA reports.

Following Pashinyan's statement, the Prosecutor General's Office sent a report of the crime to the Anti-Corruption Committee on May 5, and criminal proceedings were initiated on May 7. A letter was also sent to the Armenian government proposing to discuss measures to eliminate the identified violations, including the appointment of an interim manager at Ararat Cement.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, during the 2001 privatization, the Swiss company Holcim LTD was declared the winner of the tender, but subsequently withdrew from the investment program. In 2022, the company was privatized through a direct sale to the Belgian company Roberto for $200,000. The company's founders were Armenian citizens Azat, Robert, and Roman Muradyan, and Tsarukyan's relative, Vahagn Guloyan, was appointed manager. Six months later, Gagik Tsarukyan was appointed sole manager of Roberto, and in 2003, the company began the liquidation process, which was completed in 2008.

Tsarukyan's press secretary, Iveta Tonoyan, stated that Armenia's law enforcement system was operating at the behest of one person, and called the situation a "contract concert."

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