Goris Deputy Mayor to Be Released Within Hours, Lawyer Says

In a session held under the chairmanship of Judge Boris Bakhshiyan, the Syunik Regional Court has decided to release Goris Deputy Mayor Menua Hovsepyan on bail. The court has set the bail amount at 30 million drams. In an interview with ArmDaily.am, Hovsepyan's lawyer, Armen Melkonyan, stated that the money is being transferred at this moment and within a few hours, the deputy mayor will be free.

“I find the established amount to be quite large, but we have managed to secure it. The process of paying the bail and submitting the release order to the court is currently underway, and Menua Hovsepyan will soon be outside,” the lawyer noted, adding that Hovsepyan is currently in the Goris penitentiary.

When asked what Hovsepyan's release would mean for the upcoming local government elections in Goris, the lawyer responded, “There are only hours left, as tomorrow is a day of silence. I don’t know if Menua will manage to say anything, but I believe he will. I am confident that his five minor children will finally see their father. What does it mean when a person who is unlawfully imprisoned is released? His family needs to see him, he should be with his family, and he needs to continue his work.”

Regarding the statements made by MP Armen Khachatryan from the ruling party, the lawyer stated that he was, to put it mildly, incorrect when he said that all the community leaders of Goris are imprisoned and that there is no need to choose them. “This further confirmed our argument that individuals can be detained, but that detention means nothing as it can later be revoked or changed, and does not imply that people have committed any crime,” Melkonyan explained.

Days earlier, the Court of Appeals had rejected a motion to release Arush Arushanyan on bail. Regarding whether a smaller amount might have been proposed which led the Court of Appeals to reject that motion, while accepting Hovsepyan's, the lawyer asserted, “These millions have become some arbitrary figure. We proposed 20 million and more, depending on what the court finds appropriate. But I have repeatedly said that as long as the Armenian Criminal Appeal Court is not signed electronically, and the president of the Appeal Court signs judges of his choice, I do not expect justice from that court and I do not expect it. I knew that the Appeal Court would not grant our complaint. It is somewhat similar to a coordinated procedure; perhaps they first call the judge and say that a complaint has been filed by the defense, and one of them should reject it; they raise their hands, he is assigned, and he goes to do his black work.”

To remind, Menua Hovsepyan was arrested on August 17. He has been charged under Article 179, Part 3, Point 1 of the RA Criminal Code (misappropriation or embezzlement using one's official position, in particularly large amounts) and Article 149.1, Part 2, Points 1 and 2 (coercing participation in pre-election campaigning, conducted using one's official position).