Upon the decision rendered today by the Criminal Court of Appeal, the decision of the Court of First Instance on imposing detention as a measure of restraint on Maestro Sergey Smbatyan was overturned in part, the imposed measure of restraint was altered, as well as house arrest was imposed as a measure of restraint, which is non-acceptable. Smbatyan's legal defense team, comprising attorneys Lusine Sahakyan and Yervand Varosyan, stated this on Facebook on Thursday.

“We are going to file a cassation appeal against the rendered decision; application, in general, of any measure of restraint against Sergey Smbatyan is illegal and non-justified,” they added.

On July 30, it became known that former ambassador Armen Smbatyan and his son, conductor Sergey Smbatyan, were arrested.

Armen Smbatyan was charged with organizing large-scale fraud, and Sergey Smbatyan and a businessman—with large-scale fraud.

A number of Armenian cultural figures, famous athletes and physicians have submitted a petition to Prosecutor General of Armenia Anna Vardapetyan, asking her to have Sergey Smbatyan released from detention. And it was reported that the prosecutor's office is going to consider the petitions to commute the preventive measure chosen against him from detention to non-custodial detention.