Ruben Hayrapetyan's Case of 562 Million Embezzlement 'Dissolved', Defense Claims

The case against former president of the Football Federation of Armenia, Ruben Hayrapetyan, regarding the embezzlement of 562 million drams has not only been 'dissolved' but the Investigative Committee has also concluded that the charges were a 'bubble'. This was announced today at a press conference by Hayrapetyan's lawyer, Amram Makinyan.

He recalled that an offensive against Hayrapetyan began on December 12, 2019, when a criminal case was initiated on the grounds that the embezzlement of 562 million drams occurred during the construction works of the 'Zeytuni Furniture Factory'.

'We knew that construction works were validly performed, rather than being a case of abuse. Two years after the criminal case was initiated, yesterday we received the expert's findings in the case. The experts noted that the Football Federation of Armenia still owes Hayrapetyan's company 84 million drams,' said Makinyan.

According to him, this was the first criminal case that initiated a campaign against Hayrapetyan, who is likely to face the same fate with other cases. Makinyan also revealed that the first vice president of the Football Federation, Executive Director Armen Minasyan, and the director of the 'Zeytuni Furniture Factory', Vahagn Davtyan, are also involved in this case.

'Now we are waiting for a response from the police regarding what they will say about the defamation of Ruben Hayrapetyan's reputation. It is no secret that Hayrapetyan is a wealthy individual, and his property remains under arrest until now. Who should answer for all of this? This confirms that the campaign against Hayrapetyan is political. We will demand compensation,' he stated.

It should be noted that Ruben Hayrapetyan is also implicated under Articles 119.2(3,5) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (causing severe physical pain or mental suffering) and Articles 133.2(1,2,7) (kidnapping a person for exploitative purposes by a group of individuals) and 322.2 (self-justice).