Armenia: Gagik Tsarukyan's casino license revokedJuly 9, 2020 - 15:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's Ministry of Finance has revoked the license of a casino belonging to lawmaker and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, Azdarar.am reports. Shangri La, one of the biggest casinos in the country, has not paid a quarter of the state fee for the second quarter of 2020, the report says. Tsarukyan, the head of the Prosperous Armenia party, has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity, which came amid a probe into businesses owned and run by him, and several criminal cases involving the lawmaker. Security service officers conducted a search at Tsarukyan's residence for four hours on June 14. The man who is considered the wealthiest person in Armenia was then questioned for nine hours, with four criminal cases launched towards the end of the day. According to the NSS, a casino belonging to Tsarukyan has caused AMD 30 billion ($62 million) in damages to the state, while his party, Prosperous Armenia, handed out hundreds of millions of drams in election bribes in 2017. Tsarukyan says he is innocent and that all the cases are “fabricated”. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |