Georgi Loretsyan Will Remain in Custody, Court Rejects Appeal

The former Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Georgi Loretsyan will remain in custody. The Court of Appeal of Armenia, presided over by Judge Andranik Mnatsakanyan, today rejected the defense's appeal regarding Loretsyan's release. This was stated by his lawyer, Levon Sahakyan, in response to a question from Armenian Time.

It should be noted that on December 7, Deputy Minister Georgi Loretsyan, his driver, and the president of one of the football clubs operating in Armenia were charged with receiving a particularly large bribe. They were placed in custody as a preventive measure. According to a statement from the National Security Service (NSS), the deputy minister allegedly facilitated support for the mentioned businessman in public procurement announcements for the acquisition of sports equipment and apparel for the needs of the ministry's subordinate institutions, in exchange for which, with the assistance of his driver, he negotiated to receive a particularly large bribe. They were apprehended immediately after part of the money was handed over to the deputy minister's driver.