The Armenian government is now targeting Yerevan Circus, partially owned by jailed businessman Samvel Karapetyan.

Armenia’s State Property Management Committee has filed a lawsuit to seize the building  and the surrounding property currently owned by Yerevan Circus LLC, which in turn is owned by Samvel Karapetyan’s Tashir Capital CJSC.

Tashir Capital is 60% owned by Tashir Group President Samvel Karapetyan.  

Work on the new circus building began in 2012, after the old building was demolished. That work remains unfinished, and Armenia hasn’t had an operating circus since.

The government now wants to annull all prior state contracts with Yerevan Circus LLC granting the company ownership rights to the property.

Karapetyan was arrested on June 17 on charges that he made public calls for people "to seize power and to overthrow the country’s constitutional order".

Karapetyan had earlier given an interview to news.am in which he denounced those politicians, including Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, who have called for a new leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The businessman is now being held at the Yerevan-Central Penitentiary in pre-trial detention for two months.

Armenia’s parliament last week approved a government-backed bill to nationalize the country’s electricity distribution utility - Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA). ENA is owned by Karapetyan’s Tashir Group.

While the Armenian government argues the utility must be nationalized for “security concerns”, many see the move as politically motivated.