Fratelli Artur o “armeni molto interessanti”. la storia dei fratelli dal Kenya all’Armenia (traduzione nei commenti)

Auto-translated / edited

—

## “Artur brothers” or “very interesting Armenians”: from Kenya to Armenia

On June 3, Bagrat Archbishop Galstanyan introduced, according to him, “very interesting Armenians” Artur brothers, Artak and Artur, from the stage.

“Our very dear relatives, friends from Kenya. They are very interesting Armenians, dedicated with heart and life. Artak has five children, Arthur has eight,” the reverend noted. Galstanyan did not talk much about the brothers. CivilNetCheck tried to find out what these “interesting Armenians” are known for.

The brothers are quite famous, however, for their scandalous stories in Kenya and the Maldives. On June 3, Artur and Artak Sargsyan took the stage. However, there are six “Arthur brothers”, the most famous of them are Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargsyan. It was in their honor that the brothers received the nickname “Arthur brothers”.

### From Kenya to Maldives and Yerevan. the shadowy story of the brothers

In December 2005, two brothers with Armenian roots, Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargsyan, arrived in Kenya with an incomprehensible plan at first glance. They presented themselves as prospective investors, had connections with the Kenyan government, in particular, the police. Mwayi Kibaki was then in charge of the country. In one of the reports of US representatives in Kenya, which was published in WikiLeaks, it was mentioned . “According to popular opinion, they were brought to the country by the second wife of the president, Marie Wambui.”

Entering the country, they immediately received some privileges. In particular, they were given a work permit, as well as positions of police chief’s assistants, which allowed them to use state vehicles and other privileges. The brothers led an active life in Kenya, were constantly in the media’s attention, organized parties and expensive parties.

In addition, their two companies, Kensington Holdings.Ltd and Brother Link International, were registered in the country, giving them the opportunity to import various products without paying taxes. There is a record of this in the 2007 Kenyan parliament report on the “Arthur brothers” and parliamentary discussions.

Artur Margaryan said in an interview in March 2006 that they are engaged in importing cars from Dubai in Kenya, and are also interested in the real estate market and the construction of a steel factory. He also told that they are six brothers and each of them has a specific role “in their business spread all over the world”. As for the connections with the government, Artur Margaryan denied those claims.

They were also accused of importing drugs, there is even a mention that on the day when the brothers entered the country by plane, a large amount of drugs was imported into Kenya at the same time.

### Attack on Standard Media Group

On March 2, 2006, Kenyans woke up to shocking news: the police had attacked the building of one of the well-known periodicals, Standard Media Group, the Kenya National Television Network (KTN) had been shut down, the company’s printing press had been shut down, and newspapers had been burned.

Standard Media Group was the country’s independent media network. According to the Kenyan press, one of the reasons for the attack was related to the illegal marriage of the former. According to the publication, the first lady learned about the publication and ordered to prevent it. The Economist emphasized in the article “Bling-bling boys from abroad” that the attack was organized by the Arthur brothers. It was aimed at silencing the independent media that was talking about the government’s corrupt dealings.

After this attack, the opposition accused the brothers of organizing the attack. The brothers gave a press conference, stating that they are not mercenaries. “We are not mercenaries, but even if we were, your government would not have enough money to hire us.” Moreover, that press conference was held at the Nairobi airport, in the hall intended for the guests of honor.

They also claimed that they are relatives of the President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan. According to some reports, one of the brothers had an affair with President Mwai Kibaki’s daughter, which angered the president and he exiled the brothers.

In June 2006, the brothers left Kenya, at that time it was stated that they were given return tickets “by mistake”, moreover, according to publications , Artur Margaryan was allowed to fly with another person’s passport, and the other brother, Sargsyan, who did not have a passport, was given emergency travel documents.

After their escape, the police searched the brothers’ home and other buildings, finding a Mercedes with government license plates, AK-47 assault rifles, fake Kenyan passports, a document appointing one of the brothers as a Kenyan police detective, as well as masks and clothes used in the attack on the publishing house.

In 2007 , it became known that after a year-long investigation, the Kenyan authorities decided to transfer the case of Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargsyan to the court. The special investigative group established by the order of the President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, revealed the criminal connections of A. Sargsyan and A. Margaryan with Kenya’s customs and migration services, high-ranking police officials and politicians. They were also accused of falsifying documents, drug trafficking and money laundering.

### The Arthur Brothers in the Maldives

For a long time, the “Arthur brothers” were nowhere to be seen, and only in 2013 they appeared in the Maldives, where they began to discuss possible threats from the brothers.

Even the president’s staff issued a statement stating that the government was aware of their arrival, they were in the focus of the police.

“In January, it was reported to the president that the Arthur brothers are in the Maldives, have not broken any law and are being guarded by the police as a precaution. Later, the administration decided to ask them to leave after their visa extensions expired,” said the statement, which was published in April 2013 and stated that the brothers are no longer in the Maldives.

After the Maldives, there was a long silence again, and only in 2022, the Kenyan press remembered them again, publishing investigations about the brothers’ activities.

In Armenia, they appeared during the 2023 election campaign of the Yerevan Council of Elders, during one of the meetings of the opposition figure Suren Petrosyan . Petrosyan currently leads the “Tavush for the Motherland” movement with Bagrat srbazan.

On June 3, at the invitation of the reverend, Artak, one of the brothers, announced that they are studying law in Armenia in order to start a movement in Armenia, but they believe that the struggle started by reverend Bagrat is “the most right and they join it”.

—

Link to the Economist article mentioned above: https://archive.ph/fw0hk

Կոյուղական շարժում: Էլ ով կարող ենք ճահիճից հանենք: