Your trusted source

The legal team representing Gagik Khachatryan, the former chairman of Armenia's State Revenues Committee and the former minister of finance, will appeal the ruling of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on the motion filed by the National Security Service, the team said in a statement.

The court, presided over by judge Rubik Mkhitaryan, approved the motion of the National Security Service to extend the arrest of the former official on 30 September.

“The court rejected our request to release Khachatryan on bail. This decision was not unexpected for us. However, the court ruling contains some obvious points that could not be legally ignored. In other words, there were obvious grounds to release him, but the court ignored them,” said Yerem Sargsyan, Gagik Khachatryan’s lawyer.

Khachatryan’s lawyers had motioned the court to consider bail as an alternative to arrest. They had suggested setting the bail at 230 million drams. The court failed to provide any explanation as to why it decided that, if released from detention, Gagik Khachatryan would hide from the investigation authorities or hinder the investigation, given the fact that he had been free for nearly 6 months before that, under a signed pledge not to leave, and had not once tried to hide or hinder the investigation, even though he was well aware of the process against him.

As for the former official's health condition, Yerem Sargsyan emphasized once again that it remains quite serious.

“There are relevant medical documents indicating that Khachatryan must be released. It’s a fact. Unfortunately, both the investigation authorities and the prosecutor’s office, as well as the courts do not react appropriately and sufficiently to these documents and to the doctors’ warnings about Gagik Khachatryan’s health. It is already proven that the inaction of the RA state bodies has already caused significant damage to Gagik Khachatryan’s health. If this inaction continues, it may have serious and irreparable consequences, and the state will be responsible for this,” the lawyer said.

While in Germany, Gagik Khachatryan interrupted his mandatory post-surgery treatment and returned to Armenia at the first call of the investigator, and reported to the investigative authorities, so that his presence could contribute to a complete and objective investigation. However, he needs a second surgery.

Gagik Khachatryan has been  remanded in custody for a month already. He is accused of the alleged abuse of power and misuse of state property while in office from 2008 to 2014.

He does not accept the charges against him. His lawyer claims that the court does not have a shred of evidence that would allow it to form reasonable suspicion that the crime described in Article 179, paragraph 3(1) of the Armenian Criminal Code has occurred and that Gagik Khachatryan may have any connection with it.