Since December, Armen Gevorgyan Has Not Received Salary, Defense Says

Today, April 3rd, the hearing on the appeal filed by the defense against the decision to impose a lien on the property of former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan continued before the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan, chaired by Judge Robert Papoyan, News.am reports.

Armen Gevorgyan did not attend today’s court session.

It is worth noting that on August 21, 2018, a decision was made by the investigator to impose a lien on all of Armen Gevorgyan's property, which the defense challenged to the higher prosecutor's office. However, the appeal was rejected, with the prosecutor considering the investigator's decision justified.

According to the investigator's decision, a lien has been imposed on both movable and immovable property belonging to Armen Gevorgyan, as well as on his bank accounts and salary.

During today’s court session, defense attorney Erik Aleksanyan stated that the decision to impose a lien on his client's property was made at the time when he was charged with obstructing justice. According to the defense, such a charge does not stipulate the imposition of a lien on property as a punishment.

Erik Aleksanyan added that a lien has been imposed on all of Armen Gevorgyan's property, which infringes on his right to ownership. He stated that as a result of the investigator's decision, Armen Gevorgyan has been deprived of the opportunity to receive a salary and meet his family's needs.

“Armen Gevorgyan attempted to receive his salary, but it turned out that there was a lien on it; he has not received a salary since December,” the other defense attorney stated.

Thus, the defense requests the court to oblige the prosecuting authority to eliminate the violations of Armen Gevorgyan's rights and freedoms.

However, the prosecuting attorney argued that the presented appeal is unfounded and should be rejected. Consequently, today’s court session was postponed. The investigator will also present their position regarding the appeal in the next court session.

It should be reminded that Armen Gevorgyan is charged under Article 38-300.1, Part 1, Article 311, Part 4, Point 2, and Article 190, Part 3, Point 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia for assisting in the overthrow of the constitutional order, receiving bribes in particularly large amounts, and legalizing property obtained through criminal means.

A travel ban has been selected as a measure of restraint against Gevorgyan.