Former Deputy Minister Gevorg Loretsyan to Remain in Custody

The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by Judge Artush Gabrielyan, has deemed justified the preventive measure selected against former Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Gevorg Loretsyan. Accused of receiving a bribe of 2 million AMD, the former deputy minister will continue to remain in custody.

The court also rejected the defense's bail request; Loretsyan's lawyer, Levon Sahakyan, had requested his release for a bail of 1.5 million AMD. It is noteworthy that Gevorg Loretsyan has been in custody since December 2019.

In the criminal case involving Gevorg Loretsyan and others, three individuals are currently in the status of defendants. Loretsyan is accused of demanding a particularly large bribe of 2,000,000 AMD from Hrachik Kananian, the owner and executive director of the commercial organizations “Luarr” and “Elite Sport.” According to the indictment, in return, the minister was to ensure overall patronage, participation of Kananian's presented commercial organizations in the purchasing processes organized by the ministry, and, in case of winning, to eliminate obstacles in accepting the supplied goods and to ensure advantages free from potential issues.

Eduard Hovhannisyan, who served as a driver for the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia and served for Gevorg Loretsyan, is accused of providing Loretsyan with information and resources, as well as aiding in demanding a particularly large bribe by removing obstacles. Hrachik Kananian has been charged with promising a particularly large bribe to Gevorg Loretsyan.

Gevorg Loretsyan does not accept the charges brought against him.