Prosecutors have filed charges against Lilit Kostanyan, wife of Armenia’s former Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan, accusing her of orchestrating a sham divorce to evade financial disclosure and laundering large sums of money, Factor.am reports.
According to the Anti-Corruption Court case, she helped her husband legalize over €400,000 and 16.175 million Russian rubles, totaling approximately 360.5 million AMD, obtained through illicit means. The court has imposed a travel ban as her pre-trial measure.
Prosecutors claim that the couple formally divorced on September 10, 2018, to shield Lilit from asset declaration requirements and obscure financial transfers and real estate acquisitions. Despite the divorce, she remained involved in managing her husband’s assets.
Investigative records show that between 2006 and 2019, Gevorg Kostanyan earned illegal income, parts of which were funneled through Lilit via Armenian and foreign bank transfers. In March 2017, she issued a power of attorney to Arman Galstyan, a close associate of her husband, who used it to purchase commercial properties in Khimki, Russia, worth 16.1 million rubles. Galstyan is also involved in a separate case on illegal asset confiscation linked to the Kostanyan family.
The couple acquired more assets in Greece using another associate, Arthur Khachatryan. With a €400,000 investment, four apartments ranging from 54 to 90 square meters were purchased in Egaleo. Another apartment and storage unit in Alimos (127.3 sqm and 5 sqm, respectively) were acquired in July 2019. While registered under Lilit Kostanyan’s name, prosecutors argue the real owner was Gevorg Kostanyan, who rented out the properties for €200–1000 per month.
Lilit is listed in court documents as a presenter for Armenia’s Public Television, though Factor TV found no evidence of her participation in aired programs.
Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan confirmed Gevorg Kostanyan is now a Russian citizen. Russia previously refused Armenia’s extradition request, but a renewed request will soon be submitted.
Kostanyan’s defense team has declined to comment. Gevorg Kostanyan, who was implicated in the March 1 case, was summoned in 2018 but failed to return to Armenia. In 2019, charges were filed and an arrest warrant issued. He later announced employment as a lecturer at Russia’s Prosecutor’s University but never returned.
