Kostanyan's Defenders Consider the Court's Decision to Detain Him Unfounded

The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction has granted the Special Investigative Service's request to detain former Armenian Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan. Kostanyan's defenders believe that the court's decision is unfounded and are preparing to appeal it.

“It was all speculation. Moreover, all the arguments presented by the investigator indicated the opposite, that Gevorg Kostanyan has no connection to the charges against him,” said Kostanyan's lawyer Hambardzum Melik-Sargsyan.

The Special Investigative Service has declared a wanted status for Gevorg Kostanyan because the former Prosecutor General did not appear before the investigative body within 48 hours to be charged.

In a telephone conversation with “Azatutyun,” Kostanyan said he had informed the investigator in due time that he is working in Moscow, conducting a course, and will return after completing it. The former Prosecutor General did not consider the timeframe given to him reasonable and did not clearly answer the question of whether he will return to Armenia in December after his classes end.

Today, his lawyer did not specify when Kostanyan plans to return to Armenia but assured that earlier, the former official had decided to appear before the investigative body in December: “Under the circumstances of that decision, Mr. Kostanyan will determine when he will present himself. By prior agreement, Mr. Kostanyan was supposed to come after the end of the session. We just need to appeal this decision first.”

Gevorg Kostanyan has been implicated in the March 1 case. The Special Investigative Service has yet to clarify the specific articles under which he is being charged.