Key Witness Reveals Details in the Case Against Serzh Sargsyan

The next session has commenced at the Court of General Jurisdiction located in the Nor Nork district of Yerevan in the case against Armenia's third president, Serzh Sargsyan. Sargsyan is accused of orchestrating the embezzlement of approximately half a billion drams from the state budget. He denies the charges, while his lawyers assert that he is being subjected to political persecution, according to Hraparak.am.

Four other defendants in this case also reject the accusations: former Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan, owner of 'Flash' company Vardan Beglaryan, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Galstyan, and the former head of the Ministry's Plant Production Division Gevorg Harutyunyan.

According to the Special Investigation Service, in 2013, Serzh Sargsyan organized that upon the instigation of Vardan Beglaryan, and with the assistance of Samvel Galstyan and Gevorg Harutyunyan, Sergo Karapetyan misappropriated about half a billion drams designated for 15 million liters of fuel from the state budget.

Vardan Beglaryan arrived at the courtroom, and Sargsyan is also in attendance, greeted by applause from his supporters.

Recently, Yeghishe Vardanyan, the owner of 'Sovranie' company and a crucial witness in the case, stated: "I have known Sevan Kocharyan for a long time, but I don't specifically remember when. I met him through mutual friends. I've known him since the early 2000s through our acquaintances. I learned that he imported diesel fuel; his business was doing very well, and he was living comfortably. He had nice houses and everything he needed. Then he started having problems with his business, saying that things were not going well. By 2011, I also felt that his affairs were not good. That's when I suggested that we work together."

He added, "Later, I saw that he was selling his house and car. He owned a house on Orbeli; he sold it, and I understood that his situation was indeed bad." Notably, during the previous session, Vardanyan also indicated that they had met with Minister Sergo Karapetyan, after which they filled out documents and submitted them to the ministry. "And after that, we knew it was not for us to receive; it was the 'Flash' company that would provide it," said Yeghishe Vardanyan.