Gagik Tsarukyan

Gagik Tsarukyan (Գագիկ Ծառուկյան; born 25 November 1956) is an Armenian businessman, politician, and former athlete.

Tsarukyan is the founder and leader of the Prosperous Armenia political party.

He also owns various large-scale businesses and is believed to be one of the richest men in Armenia.

In October 1979, by the verdict of the Judicial Board of the Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of the Armenian SSR, Tsarukyan was, with three others, convicted of gang rape and sentenced to imprisonment under Article 112 for 7 years and Article 144 for 4 years.

He was also convicted of robbing the two victims.

According to Article 37 of the Criminal Code of the Armenian SSR, Tsarukyan was sentenced to a combined total of 7 years in prison in a correctional labour colony.

Gagik Tsarukyan started his business activities in the 1980s.

Tsarukyan graduated from Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture in 1989.

He was involved in sports, mainly boxing, wrestling and arm wrestling.

Since 1989 Tsarukyan has been engaged in entrepreneurship.

Tsarukyan was graduated from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture in 1989, as a teacher of physical education and sports as well as a wrestling coach.

Tsarukyan had achievements in sports, but was never a champion per WAF.

During 1990-1992 he was the executive director of "Armenia" company and in 1992 he was involved in animal husbandry activities, establishing a dairy production enterprise in Arinj village near Abovyan.

In 1995, Gagik founded and presided over Multi Group Concern, which now includes Kotayk Brewery in Abovyan, Yerevan Chemical Pharmaceutical Company, "Mek" Network of Furniture Stores, Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory, "Ararat" cement Factory, "Aviaservice" JSC, "Multi Stone" stone Processing Company, "Multi Rest House" Company, "Global Motors" CJSC, "Multi City House" Company and other companies and organizations.

An avid sportsman, he practiced boxing, wrestling and arm wrestling, becoming world champion in arm-wrestling in 1996 and winning the European championship in 1998.

Gagik Tsarukyan is a world champion in arm-wrestling, winning a world championship in 1996 and the European championship in 1998.

Karen Croorkyan, unrelated, did compete from Armenia in 1996.

In 1997 he founded and presided Multi Group Concern group of companies which now includes more than 30 enterprises: Kotayk Brewery in Abovyan, Yerevan Chemical Pharmaceutical Company, "Mek" Network of Furniture Stores, Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory, etc. Tsarukyan is accused of depriving ownership rights of foreign investors in Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory.

Gagik Tsarukyan has been engaged in politics since 2000-s.

In 2002, the Yerevan Ararat Brandy Factory was acquired by the Multi Group Concern, which invested around US$50 million-equivalent Armenian drams for the modernization and constructional works, in obtainment of new line of bottling and oak barrels.

Since 2003, Tsarukyan has been a RA National Assembly deputy.

On May 25, 2003 he was elected as a deputy in the National Assembly of Armenia from District 42 after running unopposed, later becoming a member of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs; he was not a member of a parliamentary faction during this term.

In 2003, Tsarukyan and Versand Hakobyan founded Air Armenia.

Tsarukyan took part in sports since his school years.

He went for boxing, wrestling and arm wrestling.

During the first congress of Prosperous Armenia Party, on April 30, 2004, Tsarukyan was elected as its president.

In late 2005 he founded the Prosperous Armenia Party.

Tsarukyan is the current president of the Armenian Olympic Committee, since 2005.

He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the May 2007 parliamentary election from District 28 as a Prosperous Armenia candidate.

Following this election he became head of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary faction and a member of the Committee on the Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs in June 2007.

Tsarukyan is also the president of Armenia's National Olympic Committee (he was reelected on December 4, 2008).

Armenian athletes under the leadership of Gagik Tsarukyan showed an unprecedented result during 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, returning with 6 bronze medals.

On December 4, 2008 Gagik Tsarukyan was unanimously reelected as the Armenian Olympic Committee president by the general assembly of the committee.

During the fourth congress of the party, on February 12, 2009, Tsarukyan was re-elected as the party president.

Announcing his departure from politics for a hiatus in February 2015, he announced his return to politics in January 2017, forming the parliamentary Tsarukyan Alliance, an electoral alliance made up of Prosperous Armenia, the Alliance Party and the Mission Party.

During the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election, Prosperous Armenia obtained 8.26% of the popular vote, coming in second and becoming the largest opposition party in parliament.

In July 2020 he was formally charged with bribery and corruption, right after the National Assembly voted for his immunity from prosecution as a member of parliament to be revoked.

Tsarukyan studied at Arinj village school.

He met his future wife Javahir Tsarukyan in Arinj school, who was also studying at that same school.

Tsarukyan was distinguished with physical abilities which influenced his higher education choices.