The arrest of Armenian businessman Levon Hayrapetyan is politically motivated, the leader of Heritage Party Raffi Hovannisian told journalists on Friday.
He called Hayrapetyan a patriot and advised waiting to see how the investigation will end. He believes that it is not a coincidence that Hayrapetyan has been arrested now that Armenia is facing the choice between own freedom and more specific ties with its strategic partners.
Hovannisian does not agree with Armenia's Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan who said that Hayrapetyan's case has nothing to do with Armenia's policy. He believes that the arrest is politically motivated and the Armenian authorities must react to it if they have dignity.
To remind, 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.