Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office to lift the parliamentary immunity of former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan, who leads the opposition Armenia Alliance.

The decision was announced by Kocharyan’s lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, following a meeting of the CEC, The Caspian Post reports, citing Armenian media.

According to Orbelyan, Kocharyan is expected to face charges of abuse of official authority and money laundering.

The lawyer previously stated that the Prosecutor General’s Office had sought the CEC’s approval as part of an investigation linked to a transaction authorized by the Armenian government in 2004 during Kocharyan’s presidency.

Orbelyan maintained that the transaction has never been challenged in court and stressed that neither Kocharyan nor any members of his family participated in it.

He further explained that in 2008, after Kocharian had left office, his son Sedrak acquired a stake in the company involved in the transaction, paying what Orbelyan described as a significant amount. Prosecutors are now allegedly attempting to connect that acquisition to the 2004 government-approved deal.

“The case concerns the Master Class tennis complex. The property had been leased, and the tenant had already begun construction using its own resources. In 2008, due to financial difficulties, the company sought investors and approached Sedrak Kocharian, who subsequently joined the project,” Orbelyan said.

On June 16, the Prosecutor General’s Office officially announced that it had requested the CEC’s consent to lift Kocharian’s immunity.

The Armenia Alliance, headed by Kocharyan, surpassed the electoral threshold in the June 7 parliamentary elections and is expected to secure 12 seats in the new parliament. As the leader of the alliance’s electoral list, Kocharyan is protected by legal provisions requiring CEC authorization before criminal proceedings can be launched against him or any restrictions imposed on his personal liberty.