Either Baku or Yerevan are involved in the arrest of Russian-Armenian businessman and benefactor Levon Hayrapetyan, Heritage party deputy chairman Armen Martirosyan said.
Azerbaijan can be interested in the arrest of Hayrapetyan, since the latter is known for his actions in Nagorno-Karabakh. As to official Yerevan, the businessman has recently criticized the ruling regime and spoke about necessary changes that could provoke discontent of the Armenian authorities, Armen Martirosyan said. He ruled out Russia's involvement, claiming that Russia arrests businessman only if they have links with the opposition. "Taking into account yesterday's remark by PM Hovik Abrahamyan, who said that arrested for violation of law, the Armenian authorities believe he is guilty. But, his guilt has not been proved yet," Martirosyan added.
To recall, on 17 July the Russian special services have detained one of the richest Armenian businessmen in the world Levon Hayrapetyan on suspicion of being privy to the notorious "Kingisep" criminal group. According to Rosbalt, Hayrapetyan was detained on Tuesday upon arriving in Moscow from his home in Monaco.
Shortly the investigators are planning to petition the Basmanny Court to arrest the businessman. They are currently investigating the case of Sergey-Finagin's "Kingisepp" group, which together with Alexander Matusov's "Schelkovo" gang, is believed to have done a number of contract killings first for businessman Georgy Safiyev (killed in the United States) and then for former Senator Igor Izmestyev (who is now in jail for life). And it was Izmestyev who said that Levon Hayrapetyan was privy to some of the killings, particularly, those related to the Bashneft oil company.