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People on Thursday gathered outside the building of the Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan’s Avan and Nor-Nork district to voice support for Armenia’s former President Serzh Sargsyan as the court was set to hold a hearing in the case involving him and several others former officials.

Deputy Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) headed by Serzh Sargsyan, Armen Ashotyan, told reporters that their action in support of the third president can also be viewed in the context of the opposition protests that have been taking place in Armenia after the “disgraceful” surrender of Artsakh signed by Nikol Pashinyan.

“Several thousand people have gathered here today. Support for Serzh Sargsyan is not linked to this criminal case, since the case is simply ridiculous. The support is definitely political, personal and ideological,” he said.

In addition to Serzh Sargsyan, charges were also brought against former Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Galstyan, head of a department of the ministry Gevork Harutyunyan and Flash company owner Barsegh Beglaryan. Sergo Karapetyan and Samvel Galstyan died from coronavirus.

Serzh Sargsyan has been charged with organizing an alleged embezzlement of government funds along with the other officials through misuse of official position.

The indictment said that Sargsyan used his official position in January and February 2013, when he was president, to steer a government fuel contract to a particular company that cost the state an additional 489 million drams (roughly $1 million) in subsidies.