Armenian ex-President Serzh Sargsyan has been charged with abuse of official powers as part of a wider criminal case involving ex-President Robert Kocharyan.

The authorities brought the charge under Part 2 of Article 308 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, adopted in 2003. The provision corresponds to Clause 5 of Part 2 of Article 441 of the current Criminal Code and covers the abuse or exceeding of powers derived from an official position, news.am reports.

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee confirmed the charge to local media, saying prosecutors brought it within the same criminal proceedings involving Kocharyan.

Sargsyan served as Armenia’s president from 2008 to 2018. Authorities have not publicly detailed the specific actions that form the basis of the abuse-of-power charge.

The case forms part of a broader investigation into Kocharyan’s time in office. On August 24, the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office initiated public criminal prosecution against the ex-president on nine counts, including three counts of abuse of official powers, two counts of receiving particularly large bribes and four counts of particularly large-scale money laundering.

According to prosecutors, the case concerns schemes during Kocharyan’s 1998-2008 presidency involving the transfer of state property to individuals and companies linked to him on favourable terms.

Nine other people have also been prosecuted in the case, including Kocharyan’s son Sedrak Kocharyan, former Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, former Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan and businessman Samvel Mayrapetyan.