Armenian court upholds ex-defense minister's arrest warrant
The Armenian Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday upheld an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan, rejecting a defense appeal, the Supreme Judicial Council said.
The arrest warrant was issued against Sargsyan in mid-February after he was charged with abuse of power in connection with the distribution of housing to Armenian army officers.
The Prosecutor General’s Office claims he illegally ordered a Defense Ministry commission to allocate 29 apartments in Yerevan to military personnel and ministry officials who were not down in the official waiting list for the houses.
A first instance court in Yerevan allowed Sargsyan’s arrest on February 10.
Sargsyan, who currently lives in the United States, served as defense minister from 2016 to 2018.
He has denied any wrongdoing, calling the charges “politically motivated”.