The Detention Request for Bisharyan Has Been Rejected; He Is Now Free, Lawyer Says

The Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia has reviewed the request for the detention of Mher Bisharyan, the director of the State Institution "Forensic Medical Practical Center" of the Ministry of Health, and rejected the submitted motion. This was reported to Sputnik Armenia by Bisharyan's lawyer, Emin Khachatryan.

Earlier, media reports indicated that a large number of investigators from the Anti-Corruption Committee arrived at the forensic center and conducted operations for several hours in the specified building, before subsequently arresting Director Bisharyan.

The lawyer noted that the charges against Bisharyan, which led to his arrest, are related to the procurement process concerning the acquisition of DNA testing equipment. “Mher Bisharyan has been free since yesterday. The charges are extremely baseless, unsupported, and the arrest was also unfounded. The actions mentioned in the indictment have no relation to Mr. Bisharyan and particularly the term that he acted against the interests of the state. When you only tie that term to the data obtained in the case, it is unfounded, unjust, and absurd,” he emphasized.

Media also noted that it is not excluded that former Minister of Health and MP of the Civil Contract faction, Arsen Torosyan, may be questioned in this case, as the procurement process took place during his tenure. Lawyer Khachatryan was unable to provide any comments on that matter as, according to him, Torosyan does not have any procedural status in court.

As for what steps Bisharyan’s legal team will take, Khachatryan stated that they will wait for the developments and respond accordingly.