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Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction has made a decision to extend the term of detention of MP Manvel Grigoryan, an influential retired general of the Armenian Armed Forces, for two months. Grigoryan’s lawyer Levon Baghdasaryan told Armenpress that he plans to make an announcement over the decision.

“I will make an announcement about our position on October 17.  My preliminary opinion is that the person is held in custody as a hostage”, Baghdasaryan said.

The court also rejected the motion of Grigoryan’s lawyers to change the measure of restrained imposed on the ex-army general by release on bail.

On 19 June, the Yerevan court ruled to arrest Grigoryan, who had earlier been stripped of his parliamentary immunity.

He has been charged with embezzling army supplies and illegally possessing firearms after security agents raided his Etchmiadzin villa to discover and confiscate large quantities of illegally stored weapons, explosives and cars, including military vehicles.

The findings also included canned and preserved food labelled “Not for Sale: Soldier’s Ration”, as well as clothing, hygiene items and medicine donated to servicemen during the 2016 April war.     

A private zoo and a large car collection were also found during the search of his compound.