Armenian businessman Ayrapetyan accused of wasting funds and laundering income

Businessman Levon Ayrapetyan will be put on trial for wasting funds and laundering criminal income when selling Bashneft in 2009. The Russian Investigative Committee pressed charges against him at Matrosskaya Tishina yesterday. Ayrapetyan was allegedly helping the son of Bashkirian ex-President Ural Rakhimov in buying Sistema at a low price, Kommersant reports. Ayrapetyan’s lawyer Samvel Karakhanyan called the accusations unjustified. The businessman’s lawyers signed a non-disclosure agreement. Ayrapetyan may get up to 2 years in jail for wasting funds, a fine and up to 7 years in jail for legalizing criminal income.