The Armenian Apostolic Church has filed a lawsuit against Vagharshapat community head Argishti Mekhakyan, seeking to invalidate a decision ordering the recovery of more than 47.5 million drams from the Church.
On May 6, 2026, the Vagharshapat municipal administration initiated administrative proceedings to collect outstanding real estate tax liabilities from the religious organization Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, Factor.am reports.
The Church disputed the accuracy of the calculations, stating that the property list contained duplicate entries, improperly identified properties and properties that, according to the Church, were either exempt from taxation or had been taken from it by the state. The municipality examined ownership certificates for 62 properties submitted by the Church, but some discrepancies nevertheless remained unresolved.
According to the decision signed by Argishti Mekhakyan, the initial calculation put the total tax liabilities at 118,397,492 drams.
The amount included tax arrears accumulated between 2021 and 2025 and the penalties assessed on them. The calculations were made as of April 27, 2026, and did not include tax liabilities for 2026.
The administrative proceedings were temporarily suspended twice. The first suspension took effect on June 5 for 30 days, while the second began on July 6 and lasted through August 5. On August 6, Vagharshapat community head Argishti Mekhakyan decided to resume the proceedings.
The following day, August 7, the mayor signed a decision ordering the recovery of 47,551,349 drams from the religious organization Armenian Apostolic Holy Church for the Vagharshapat community budget as unpaid tax liabilities.
Disagreeing with the decision, the Church filed a lawsuit seeking its annulment.
The statement of claim was submitted to the Administrative Court on October 9. On October 12, the case was assigned to Judge Mher Petrosyan.
A report titled “On the crisis within the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church resulting from the activities of its de facto head and several senior clergymen, and ways to resolve it” has been published. The report states that its preparation stems from the Armenian government’s 2026–2031 program and that it was prepared on the instructions of the Armenian prime minister. The report was produced by the Public Relations and Information Center, a state non-commercial organization.
The first proposed step is to establish a Reform Coordination Group involving clergy and laypeople and publish a procedure for expanding its membership. The second proposed step is the “removal of the de facto head” of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
