YEREVAN. – Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader, MP, and business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan left the National Security Service (NSS) building a short while ago after being questioned and staying there for eight hours.

PAP MPs and supporters, who were outside the NSS building all this time, greeted him with applause and chanting, "Tsarukyan."

The NSS has opened three criminal cases which involve Gagik Tsarukyan.

Earlier in the day, Tsarukyan's mansion was searched by the NSS investigators.

More than a hundred people were apprehended during the day’s rally in his support.

Ishkhan Zakaryan, former Chairman of the Audit Chamber, was also summoned to the NSS today for questioning in one of the cases related to Gagik Tsarukyan, and as a witness.

The NSS on Sunday issued statements on aforementioned three criminal cases involving the PAP leader.

Accordingly, the first of these criminal cases is about illegalities at Casino Shangri La owned by Gagik Tsarukyan. According to the NSS statement, this gaming hall operated without a license, which caused more than 29 billion drams in damage to the state.

The second statement was about vote buying during the 2017 parliamentary election.

And while Tsarukyan was still being questioned, the NSS disseminated a statement on a third criminal case. Accordingly, the officials of Arinj community—where Gagik Tsarukyan resides—of Kotayk Province had legalized the illegal structures on a 7.5-hectare agricultural land that was unlawfully leased, and then had illegally alienated this land to "New" LLC belonging to Tsarukyan. And as a result of this illegality, about 370 million drams were not transferred to Arinj's budget.