YEREVAN. – The capital city Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on Friday denied the Special Investigation Service’s petition that Armenia’s Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Secretary of the Security Council,  Armen Gevorgyan, be remanded in custody.

Gevorgyan himself told about the aforementioned to reporters, after the respective court session.

It became known Wednesday that several new criminal charges had been filed against Gevorgyan; they are: taking a very large bribe by an official, committing very large-scale money laundering, and aiding in breaching Armenia’s constitutional order.

Gevorgyan was already charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the criminal case into the tragic events that occurred in Yerevan, in March 2008. The investigative agency had enforced a signature bond to not leave Armenia as a preventive measure for him.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.