The Yerevan court of general jurisdiction, under the chairmanship of Judge Karen Farkhoyan, examined the motion that the attorneys of Karen Khachatryan (nephew of ex-chairman of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia Gagik Khachatryan) had filed with the court for his release, and the judge left for the consultation room.

Karen Khachatryan was also attending the court hearing.

Khachatryan’s attorney Amram Makinyan said his client has been in liberty twice and nothing has changed and that talks about hiding are not serious.

“Karen Khachatryan is the only person who has been in custody under this charge in Armenia. The money for compensation for the prima facie damage caused to the state has already been transferred to the deposit account of the Prosecutor General’s Office. His mother is on pension and under his care. I would like to ask to release Karen Khachatryan from custody,” the attorney stated.

The prosecutor asked the judge to leave the selected pre-trial measure unchanged.

Last time, the same court examined the pre-trial measure against Gagik Khachatryan. The defense had petitioned to apply an alternative pre-trial measure for the ex-official, but the court had denied the attorneys’ motion.

Karen Khachatryan used to hold the position of Head of the Internal Security Department of the State Revenue Committee and is charged with embezzlement or squander in particularly large amounts and official fraud.

Gagik Khachatryan is also charged within the scope of the same criminal case.

On August 27, the court denied Gagik Khachatryan’s attorneys’ motion to release him from custody.