Goris Deputy Mayor Menua Hovsepyan to Remain in Custody

The Court of Appeals has rejected the request to change the detention measure for Goris Deputy Mayor Menua Hovsepyan. This was stated by his lawyer, David Karapetyan, in an interview with Tert.am.

"We have not yet received the decision, and we will definitely appeal it. Menua Hovsepyan has been deprived of his freedom in the absence of reasonable suspicion and grounds for detention," the lawyer said, adding that there are no grounds to assume that Menua Hovsepyan could obstruct the investigation. He also reminded that the Deputy Mayor of Goris is a second-degree disabled person and has four underage children, which the first-instance court and the appellate court did not take into account.

David Karapetyan pointed out that in the appeal, they will also address the fact that the first-instance court examined Menua Hovsepyan's case with an illegal composition. "The case was assigned to the well-known Mnatsakan Martirosyan via an unclear and non-substantive email from Mail.ru," he said.

Menua Hovsepyan is currently in the Armavir Penitentiary, having been detained on August 18 by the decision of Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction.

Menua Hovsepyan is accused under Article 149.1, Part 2, Points 1 and 2 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to coercing participation in electoral campaigning or referendum campaigning, and under Article 179, Part 3, Point 1 of the Criminal Code for embezzlement or misappropriation in particularly large amounts. Menua Hovsepyan denies the charges, considering the case to be fabricated.