Gagik Khachatryan's Health Condition is Severe, Lawyers Appeal Court Decision

The former head of the State Revenue Committee and former Minister of Finance, Gagik Khachatryan's legal team is appealing a decision made by Judge Artush Gabrielyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction regarding a request from the National Security Service (NSS).

Recall that the NSS had submitted a request to extend Khachatryan's pre-trial detention.

"The court rejected our request to release Khachatryan on bail. This was not an unexpected decision for us. However, there are obvious issues in the court's ruling that, in fact, provided no legal possibility for circumvention, meaning there were direct requirements for releasing him from detention, which the court ignored," said Khachatryan's lawyer, Yerem Sargsyan.

Khachatryan's lawyers had submitted a request for the courts to allow bail as an alternative measure, proposing 230 million AMD. The court has been unable to justify why it believes that Khachatryan could hide from the investigating authorities or obstruct the proceedings if he were to be released, given that for about 6 months, a signature confirming he would not leave the country has been in place and during that time he has been free without even a single attempt to hide or obstruct the process, despite being well aware of the proceedings against him.

Regarding Gagik Khachatryan's health condition, lawyer Yerem Sargsyan once again emphasized that it is actually quite severe.

“There are relevant medical documents stating that Khachatryan should be released, that is a fact. Unfortunately, both the pre-trial body and the prosecutor's office, as well as the courts, are not responding adequately to the existing documents and warnings from doctors regarding Khachatryan's health condition. It is already a proven fact that due to the prolonged inaction of the state bodies, Gagik Khachatryan's health has been significantly harmed, and if this inaction continues, serious irreversible consequences may arise, for which the state will bear responsibility,” said Sargsyan.

It should be noted that while in Germany, Gagik Khachatryan interrupted mandatory post-operative treatment and returned to Armenia at the very first phone call from the investigator to present himself to the authorities, providing an opportunity for a complete and objective examination. This is despite the fact that he requires a double surgery.

Recall that former Minister of Finance and former head of the State Revenue Committee Gagik Khachatryan has been in custody for two months now. He is accused of alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of funds during official activities from 2008 to 2014. Khachatryan does not accept the charges against him, and his legal team argues that the court has not had even one piece of evidence during the trial that would allow one to reasonably assume that the crime charged under Article 179, Part 3, Point 1 of the RA Criminal Code occurred at all, and that Gagik Khachatryan has any connection to it.