By Asbarez | Saturday, 08 December 2018
Armenia to seek his extradition to face charges.
Narek Sarkisian, the nephew of former president Serzh Sarkisian, who had fled Armenia and is wanted there on several charges, including drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession, has been spotted by Czech authorities in Prague.
Narek Sarkisain was identified when he attempted to use a fake Guatemalan passport under the alias of Franklin Gonzales.
Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s spokesperson, Arevik Khachatryan, said Friday that her office will petition for Sarkisain’s extradition.
The Police of Armenia, in collaboration with law enforcement bodies of a number of European countries, as well as Interpol, discovered Sarkisian on Thursday in Prague.
Narek Sarkisian, who is the son of Alexander Sarkisian, known as Sashik, is wanted for possession of arms, illegal narcotics and looted art — specifically, a dozen drawings by famous Armenian painter, Martiros Saryan.
Armenia’s National Security Service announced in July that Sarkisian duped one of Martiros Saryan’s heirs into giving him 14 Saryan drawings worth $280,000, with a promise to pay him $28,000 and use the remaining sum to establish a casino for him and help it get off the ground. After taking possession of the drawings, Narek Sarkisian reneged on his promise and ignored the drawings’ owner’s pleas, refusing to return them.
The drawings were found Wednesday during a nine-hour raid of Aleksander Sarkisian’s residence. Aleksander Sarkisian told investigators that he had purchased the drawings. The person who filed the claim against Narek Sarkisian was present during a portion of Aleksander Sarkisian’s questions and asserted that Narek obtained them through deceptive means.
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