The Armenian Investigative Committee has declared Ara Minasyan, a former director of one of the largest medical centers in Yerevan called Surb Grigor Lusavorich and the father of ex-President Serzh Sargsyan's son-in-law, wanted on suspicion of major fraud.

Minasyan is suspected of embezzling funds allocated by the Health Ministry for providing free medical services to government officials in collusion with a group of the medical center's employees from 2016 to 2017, the Investigative Committee said.

"At the present time, the investigation estimates the damage caused by the crime at 426,343,650 drams," it said.

Minasyan has been charged in absentia with major fraud (Armenian Criminal Code Article 178, Part 3, Clause 1, punishable by imprisonment of four to eight years) and forgery, sale, or illegal use of documents, seals, stamps, or forms committed by a group of individuals acting in collusion (Article 325 Part 2, punishable by community work of up to two years or imprisonment of up to four years).

"Considering that Ara Minasyan is hiding from the investigation and his whereabouts is unknown, he has been declared wanted. A request on issuing an arrest warrant for him has been forwarded to a court," the Armenian Investigative Committee said.

Meanwhile, the press service of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian said on Friday the president relieved Mikael Minasyan, who is Ara Minasyan's son and ex-President Sargsyan's son-in-law, of his duties as Armenian ambassador to the Vatican, Portugal, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Mikael Minasyan, 39, was appointed ambassador in 2013. Before this, he had served as first deputy chief of the presidential secretariat and a senior aide to the prime minister.