Restrictions Imposed on Davit Tonoyan's Visits and Phone Calls

In the case of the former Minister of Defense, Davit Tonoyan, no expert examination of the goods and explosive materials will be conducted. The National Security Service has suspended the conduct of these examinations. Tonoyan's lawyer, Sergey Hovhannisyan, stated in an interview with "Fasrtinfo" that this decision is linked to the investigative body's unwillingness to conduct a proper investigation. This opinion had long been established among the defense team, and the omission of the examinations has confirmed it, according to the lawyer.

“Most likely, the investigative body has realized that they cannot substantiate their claims regarding the unusable rocket components in any documentary manner; they understood that with the appointed examinations, they would not be able to gather sufficient data to indicate that these rockets were defective or unusable. On the contrary, it would be established that they are fully functional and capable of performing combat assignments. They are taking all possible measures to bypass this part,” stated Hovhannisyan, adding that from an objective investigative perspective, it is evident that the issue of the rockets' usability can only be clarified within the framework of special professional knowledge, and only experts can provide answers to those questions. Removing these issues from the designated expert examinations means avoiding a thorough investigation in this regard and steering the investigation towards an objective direction.

Regarding the potential impact of the statement made by Tonoyan's legal team about participating in the examinations, the lawyer did not rule out that this might have an effect, although he could not state definitively since it is unclear when the decision was made to leave the examinations pending. The defense team has yet to receive this decision but recently requested it for future appeal.

The lawyer has informed that restrictions have been placed on Davit Tonoyan's visits and phone calls, and these limitations also extend to Tonoyan's close relatives; however, the defense has not raised any demands to remove these restrictions. “Mr. Tonoyan does not wish to pursue this. To prevent any commentary that he might be trying to obstruct things or might obstruct through someone else, he has urged us not to appeal this decision,” Hovhannisyan noted, adding that the defense is doing everything to ensure an objective investigation, which, however, is being avoided by the party providing the objective investigation.

During this period, no investigative actions involving Davit Tonoyan have been conducted, and Tonoyan has refused to provide testimony. It is worth remembering that former Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan and businessman Davit Galstyan, engaged in arms supply, known as Patron Davo, were arrested in the context of a criminal case investigated by the NSS, and a request for their detention was submitted to the court, which was granted. According to a statement released by the NSS, Davit Tonoyan and Davit Galstyan have been charged with the embezzlement of 2,277,323,840 AMD and committing frauds and socially dangerous acts. Also arrested and subsequently detained in the framework of the criminal case was Stepan Galstyan, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. He is accused of abusing his official position, causing severe material consequences, and committing official forgery.