American lawyer calls Samvel Karapetyan case a "political show"

YEREVAN, August 13. /ARKA/. Renowned American lawyer Robert Amsterdam said that the case of Tashir Group President Samvel Karapetyan is clearly a political show and an act of revenge, which should not happen in a democracy.

"Any legal proceedings taking place here are like a show and are indicative. They were initiated by the Prosecutor General, who has close ties with the Prime Minister's office. I assure the Armenian government that their behavior in this case will attract the attention of all political and economic partners," Amsterdam said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The lawyer said he will bring this unacceptable behavior to the attention of all international legal bodies.

"The Armenian government must consider the political price within the international community," he said.

Samvel Karapetyan was arrested in June on accusations of calling for a power seizure after he publicly supported the Armenian Apostolic Church in its conflict with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration. Following the arrest, Pashinyan declared it was time to nationalize Karapetyan’s company, Electric Netwroks of Armenia, and the Armenian parliament passed laws allowing the state to seize it.

In response, the Karapetyan family filed a lawsuit at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), citing a 1995 bilateral investment treaty between Armenia and Cyprus.

The SCC ruled that Armenia must halt any efforts to enforce the new legislation or confiscate the company, warning that such actions would hinder the family’s ability to recover damages if they lose control.-0-