Vyacheslav Harutyunov Charged with Providing False Testimony

Vyacheslav Harutyunov, who reported being assaulted by Prosperous Armenia Party member Eduard Babayan and later retracted his own testimony, has been charged with providing false testimony.

According to the indictment, Harutyunov, who was a victim in a criminal case related to a serious offense, gave false testimony during the pre-trial investigation and trial after being warned about the criminal liability for providing false testimony under Article 338 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.

As a preventive measure, a signature prohibiting him from leaving has been imposed on Harutyunov. The case has been forwarded to the court and assigned to Judge Gagik Poghosyan of the Yerevan General Jurisdiction Court.

It is worth noting that an incident occurred on July 2, 2018, after a meeting of the Armenian Boxing Federation attended by Gagik Tsarukyan at the “Olympavan” sports complex. According to investigation data, in the meeting hall of the complex, Eduard Babayan, with a group, intentionally inflicted physical injuries on Harutyunov.

After the incident, Harutyunov reported to law enforcement that he was first struck by Gagik Tsarukyan and then by Eduard Babayan. However, days later, he stated that he had been under the influence of medication during his testimony and made false statements. According to the victim, he actually slipped and fell, which resulted in his injuries. Harutyunov also asserted that he has a close relationship with Gagik Tsarukyan.

Eduard Babayan was charged with intentionally causing serious harm to Harutyunov's health and was taken into custody. Babayan was released on August 21, 2018, upon posting a bail of 20 million drams.

On April 5, 2019, the Yerevan General Jurisdiction Court sentenced Prosperous Armenia Party member Eduard Babayan to 3.5 years in prison, but he was released under an amnesty.