Russian Armenian entrepreneur and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan's detention period in Armenia has been extended by two months, his legal team informs.

The Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia made such a ruling.

Karapetyan's lawyer stated that the court found that there is reasonable doubt in the first charge, but that there is none in the other charges brought against Karapetyan.

The defense will appeal this ruling to the Court of Appeals of Armenia, and will file a special review appeal.

Samvel Karapetyan was arrested in Armenian capital Yerevan on June 18 for a two-month period. He is charged with seizing power and publicly calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order. Karapetyan denies the charges, and his defense team claims that the charges against him are unfounded.

Karapetyan was detained for making a statement supporting the Armenian Apostolic Church. Referring to the relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian authorities, he had told Armenian News-NEWS.am as follows, in particular: “A small group, forgetting the Armenian history, the thousands of years history of the Armenian Church, has attacked the Armenian [Apostolic] Church, the Armenian people. I have always stood with the Armenian [Apostolic] Church and the Armenian people. If the politicians do not succeed, then we will intervene in the campaign against the [Armenian Apostolic] Church in our own way.”