YEREVAN. – Ashot Sukiasyan, who is the defendant in Armenia’s “offshore scandal” case, has pleaded not guilty.

Sukiasyan announced about the aforesaid on Thursday in capital city Yerevan, and after the publicizing of the indictment during the first court session on the case.

At the beginning of the hearing, the court decided on the procedure for examining the evidence. Accordingly, the injured party—that is, businessman Paylak Hayrapetyan—, the subpoenaed witnesses, and the defendant will be questioned in that order.

Hayrapetyan is questioned at present.

According to the indictment, entrepreneur Ashot Sukiasyan fraudulently obtained rights over someone else’s property, legalized illicit proceeds, and evaded paying large amounts of taxes, fees, and other mandatory payments.

The aforesaid “offshore scandal” broke out in Armenia after an Armenian media outlet wrote that Armenia’s then-PM Tigran Sargsyan—who is currently Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States—, Archbishop Navasard Kjoyan—Vicar General of the Araratian Patriarchal Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church—, and “jeweler” Ashot Sukiasyan are shareholders in an offshore company called Wlispera Holdings Limited, which is registered in Cyprus. Sargsyan and Kjoyan, however, denied their involvement in such a company.

The Armenian General Investigation Department had laid charges on Sukiasyan, and on the grounds of committing fraud, causing property damage, and legalizing criminally-earned income.