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The attorney of retired Army General Manvel Grigoryan has refused to defend him.

Grigoryan, an MP of the Republican Party of Armenia who heads the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union, was detained on 16 June after security officers found and confiscated a large quantity of “illegally acquired” arms and ammunition in his villa. 

Attorney Hrant Ananyan cited the “other circumstances” existing in the case that he was not aware of as the reason behind his decision.

“Yesterday, after the prime minister’s speech and the release of a footage by the National Security Service, I was surprised to hear that at the time of assuming Manvel Grigoryan’s defense, in addition to the suspicion of illegal possession of firearms in the group, there are other circumstances that I have not been informed about before,” the attorney said on Facebook.

“Under these conditions, I do not find it appropriate to continue providing legal assistance to Mr. Grigoryan any longer, and on my recommendation and with Mr. Grigoryan’s consent (which is prescribed by law), the investigative body recorded that fact a while ago, and I have stopped being his defender.”

Apart from illegal possession of weapons, Manvel Grigoryan is also suspected of appropriating the goods, including food, hygiene items, medicine and clothing sent to the servicemen as assistance during the 2016 April War, according to the NSS report.