The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan on Thursday denied the motion of the defense attorneys to release Aghvan Hovsepyan—former Prosecutor General and former Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Armenia—on bail.

Hovsepyan's lawyers had issued an announcement informing that he was at an otorhinolaryngology clinic. During treatment Aghvan Hovsepyan had an increase in glucose levels, in connection with which another consultation with an endocrinologist was ordered.

Based on the aforementioned, the defense had submitted a motion to the court, requesting to convene a special court session and to reconsider the matter of commuting Hovsepyan's current precautionary measure.

According to the indictment based on the Special Investigation Service findings, Aghvan Hovsepyan, who held the post of Prosecutor General, then Chairman of the Investigative Committee, from 2004 to 2018, had legalized—i.e., money laundering—1,299,404,414 drams (approx. $2,854,105), participated in the management of a number of business companies, taken 190 million drams (approx. $417,329) in bribes, and fraudulently stolen 800 million drams (approx. $1,757,177) worth of property.

Hovsepyan has been charged under several articles of the Criminal Code, and is remanded in custody.

Aghvan Hovsepyan does not accept the charge. His lawyers claim that Hovsepyan is illegally taken into custody, and demand that a criminal case be opened in this regard.