Evidence Destroyed, Says Attorney for Sona Mnatsakanyan

Sona Mnatsakanyan was struck by a vehicle driven by a driver accompanying the Prime Minister of Armenia, who exceeded the permissible speed limit. This information was reported to Sputnik Armenia by attorney Raffi Aslanyan.

"The speed of the vehicle was approximately 109 km/h, while according to government regulations, the maximum allowable speed for this motorcade in that area is 100 km/h. There is a forensic conclusion on this matter," said Aslanyan.

Furthermore, according to him, evidence in the case has been destroyed. However, he did not reveal details about what was destroyed or under what circumstances, as it is considered a pre-investigation secret. The attorney stated that the destruction of the evidence has created an impression for the victim's legal successor, Sona's father, that there is interference in the criminal case, and an obviously biased investigation is underway.

As for the measure of restraint applied to the commander of the escorting police unit (who remains at liberty), Aslanyan indicated that there is currently no legislative opportunity to detain him. However, if the court finds him guilty, it will also influence the measure of restraint.

The attorney added that the investigation in this criminal case does not satisfy the victim's side. It is evident that the circle of individuals involved and subjective factors matter significantly in the examination of such a case.

We previously reported that on June 25, the Court of Appeal of Armenia rejected the prosecutor's appeal to detain the driver of the police vehicle accompanying the Prime Minister who had struck Sona Mnatsakanyan, leaving him free.

Recall that on April 26, around 18:05, at the intersection of Leo and Paronyan streets in Yerevan, the commander of the escorting police unit struck a pregnant woman with a “Toyota Prado.” She was transported to the Nairi Medical Center, where she passed away without regaining consciousness.

After the incident, the driver left the scene but returned at 20:05 and participated in the investigative actions. It later emerged that the injured party was Sona Mnatsakanyan, who was working at the organization "Support Our Heroes-Armenia." The commander of the escorting police unit was arrested in connection with the fatal incident but was later released on bail.

On May 12, he was arrested again and released the following day; the Yerevan City Court decided to apply a signature not to leave as a precautionary measure for Navasaradyan.

On May 30, the prosecutor's office filed an appellate complaint against the decision to reject the request for his detention. On June 25, it became known that the Court of Appeal of Armenia had rejected the complaint, leaving the driver free.

The driver of the police vehicle has been charged under the second part of Article 242 of the Armenian Criminal Code (violating the requirements for ensuring road traffic safety, leading to the death of a person through negligence) and under Article 244 (leaving the scene of a traffic accident).