House Arrest Imposed on Former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, Lawyer Says

The former Prime Minister of Armenia, Hovik Abrahamyan, is facing public criminal prosecution for alleged abuse of official position and the legalization of properties with presumed criminal origins. A motion has been submitted to the court for his arrest as a preventive measure.

During a court session that lasted approximately seven hours, we presented detailed arguments indicating that the charges are baseless and that there is no evidence supporting these against him in the criminal proceedings. Additionally, we pointed out that Hovik Abrahamyan had previously faced similar charges, and a preventive measure in the form of a signature not to leave was applied, under which he maintained proper conduct and did not hinder the proceedings over the past seven years. Therefore, submitting a motion to detain him based on evidence acquired from 2018-2019 is absolutely unlawful.

This statement was made by lawyer Yerevan Sargsyan. As a result of the motion's hearing, the Court decided to deny the request to detain Hovik Abrahamyan, and instead, house arrest has been imposed as a preventive measure.