The State Revenue Committee Details Charges Against Mikael Minasian

The State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia has provided details regarding the court's decision to detain former Armenian Ambassador to the Vatican Mikael Minasian and the ongoing criminal case against him.

The Committee announced in a statement that, given the significant public attention and interest surrounding the multi-episode criminal case being investigated by its investigative department, it informs that on September 22, 2020, the Yerevan First Instance Court granted the pre-trial body’s request to select detention as a measure of restraint for Mikael Ara Minasian, the former ambassador and defendant in the criminal case.

The committee considers it necessary to note that prior requests for detention as a measure of restraint made by the prosecuting authority against M. Minasian were rejected solely based on procedural norms of the criminal procedure law. During those proceedings, the grounds for accusations against M. Minasian were not examined and addressed, except for a judicial act dated May 6, 2020, which discussed and analyzed the presence of reasonable suspicion regarding the accusations against M. Minasian and the grounds for detention deemed lawful by the court.

However, this judicial act was later annulled by the Court of Cassation of the Republic of Armenia upon appeal from the defense and remanded to the Yerevan First Instance Court for a new hearing. Moreover, the factual circumstances underlying the accusations and the grounds for detention were also not revisited in the Supreme Court of Armenia.

Alongside these processes, the preliminary investigation of the criminal case continued, during which substantial investigatory and operational measures were carried out, leading to sufficient evidence being gathered. On September 3, 2020, the prosecution body adopted a decision to amend and supplement its earlier decision regarding M. Minasian’s involvement as a defendant, and on the same day, M. Minasian was officially charged under Article 190.3 of the Criminal Code (two episodes), Article 310, Article 310.1.1 (three episodes), and Article 314.3.2 (five episodes). A new request for detention as a measure of restraint was then submitted to the court, which, as previously noted, was granted by the court's decision on September 22, 2020.

Additionally, the investigation revealed and substantiated that certain publicly dangerous acts were committed by M. Minasian with the assistance of his close associate Leonid Eduard Aravshatyan, who was identified as the de facto head and coordinator of the organizations owned by M. Minasian. During the preliminary investigation, Aravshatyan was also charged under Article 38-205.2 of the Criminal Code and Article 190.3.1, Article 38-190.3.1, Article 38-310, Article 38-310.1.1, and Article 38-314.3.2, and the request for his detention as a measure of restraint was granted by the Yerevan First Instance Court.

The preliminary investigation of the criminal case is ongoing.

Note: A suspect or accused is considered innocent until proven guilty according to the law and in accordance with a legally binding judgment of the court.