Prosecutor's Office to Appeal Court's Decision Denying Arrest Request for Gagik Tsarukyan

Due to significant public interest and numerous inquiries from journalists, I would like to inform that we have received and examined the decision of the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan regarding the National Security Service's request to choose arrest as a measure of restraint against Gagik Tsarukyan. This was stated by Gor Abrahamyan, an advisor to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, on his Facebook page.

“Firstly, I want to emphasize that the denial of the request is not related to the presence of reasonable suspicion, meaning the court has considered that reasonable suspicion is present. Rather, it concerns the grounds for choosing arrest as a measure of restraint, particularly due to the risks of exerting illegal influence on participants in the criminal proceedings, the potential hiding or falsification of materials significant to the case, and the failure to appear without valid reasons when summoned by the investigative authority, or otherwise obstructing the investigation,” he wrote.

The Prosecutor's Office believes that the court ignored and did not properly evaluate the justifications presented in the request regarding the grounds for choosing arrest as a measure of restraint. This includes the risks associated with him being at liberty during the investigation, enabling him to manage party structures under his actual control, the necessity to obtain documents from individuals financially and personally dependent on him, the numerous potential participants in the alleged crime, the wide geographical scope of the alleged crimes, his connections and financial resources, and his influence over individuals allegedly involved in the commission of the crime, which presents real risks of illegal influence, hiding evidence, and obstructing the investigation process.

Therefore, as the court has rendered an unfounded and illegal judicial act, the Prosecutor's Office will definitely appeal to the Court of Appeals of Armenia,” he concluded.

It is noted that the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan announced its decision regarding the NSS’s request for the arrest of Gagik Tsarukyan, which was ultimately denied.