Former President Serzh Sargsyan's over 15 excursions to the German spa town of Baden-Baden have prompted an investigation by Armenia's Special Investigation Service.

The investigation began on October 11 and is looking into allegations of "abuse of public authority." The research was based on a recent report from the Fact Investigation Platform (FIP), a Yerevan-based investigative and fact-checking organisation, which detailed over 15 trips Sargsyan made to the German spa town while he was president.

Sargsyan not only visited Baden-Baden for holidays but also as a quick stopover on official visits to foreign countries, according to FIP. The information on Sargsyan's flights came from data given by Armenia's Civil Aviation Committee, according to FIP.

Questions regarding Sargsyan's travels to Baden-Baden arose throughout his term, and then reappeared in the run-up to the 2021 snap legislative elections in June, with the added accusation that he went there to visit casinos.

On 8 June, during an election campaign event, the former Armenian President acknowledged his trips to the German town but denied he had gone there to gamble. “Baden is a resort town, a cultural city, where you have the opportunity to get acquainted with cultural gems,” he said.

In late August, Khachatur Sukiasyan (popularly known by his nickname “Grzo”), an MP from the ruling Civil Contract party and one of the wealthiest men in Armenia, accused Sargsyan of “losing more than $100 million in the casinos in Baden-Baden.”

Sargsyan, who was deposed by Armenia’s current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the 2018 Armenian Revolution, currently faces a litany of charges for other alleged crimes committed during his rule.

One of the most prominent charges concerns Sargsyan’s alleged involvement with the embezzlement of around $1 million from the Armenian government in 2013.