Investigation into Charchyan’s Case Concludes; Defense Claims He Should Be Released

The investigation into the criminal case against Armen Charchyan, director of Izmirlian Medical Center, will conclude today. The information was shared by his lawyer, Erik Aleksanyan, on his Facebook page.

"Today at 3:00 PM, the conclusion of the investigation into Armen Charchyan's case will be announced. This means that the prosecuting body has decided to finalize the case and send it to court. We believe that under these conditions, it becomes evident that there is no longer any basis for the detention that could hinder the investigation, although it never existed in the first place," the lawyer's post stated.

He added that according to the prosecuting authority, all necessary actions have been completed, and all witnesses have been interrogated, thus logic suggests that there is no basis to exert influence on the witnesses.

Aleksanyan emphasized that at least in the context of this matter, Armen Charchyan should no longer remain in custody.

It should be noted that a decision was made to detain Charchyan. The court deemed that he could obstruct the investigation if he were to remain free.

Moreover, Charchyan is still in the hospital.

Recall that on June 18, a recording surfaced online in which Charchyan instructed his employees that the administration would adopt a very strict stance towards those who would not participate in the elections. That same day, it became known that Charchyan was arrested in connection to a criminal case being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Committee regarding his alleged coercion of employees at his center to partake in the extraordinary parliamentary elections.

On June 21, the Central Electoral Commission allowed Charchyan to be prosecuted. The investigator submitted a petition to choose pretrial detention as a measure of restraint for Charchyan. On June 23, the court decided to detain him. That same day, it was revealed that Charchyan was taken to the hospital by an ambulance.

It is worth mentioning that Charchyan is a member and candidate of the "Armenia" alliance led by the second president, Robert Kocharyan.