Motion to Arrest Gagik Khachatryan Submitted

Today, December 11, a court hearing is taking place in the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction regarding the case of former head of the State Revenue Committee, Gagik Khachatryan. The prosecuting attorney is presenting a motion to arrest Khachatryan.

According to the prosecutor, the criminal case was sent to court back in August 2020, and 14 court hearings have been scheduled this year, none of which took place. “12 of the hearings were postponed due to Khachatryan's reported health issues, one hearing was postponed because of defense attorney Yerem Sargsyan’s absence, and one hearing was delayed due to the defendants being unprepared. During this entire period, Gagik Khachatryan did not receive inpatient medical assistance. The manifest procedural behavior exhibited by Gagik Khachatryan during the trial is aimed exclusively at not appearing in court and indefinitely stalling the hearings,” the prosecutor stated.

The prosecutor demanded that Khachatryan's absence from the court sessions be deemed disrespectful.

It is worth noting that Gagik Khachatryan and Karen Khachatryan are charged with alleged abuses of office, misappropriation of property, and official forgery during their public service. Both deny the charges against them, and according to the evidence available in the case, they have never attempted to evade the investigation or obstruct the proceedings. Gagik Khachatryan interrupted his mandatory postoperative treatment in Germany following the first phone call from the investigator and returned to Armenia to present himself to the prosecuting authority. Karen Khachatryan personally appeared in court after the ruling on the preventive measure of arrest was announced.