YEREVAN. – When we saw the letters at Manvel Grigoryan’s house, we were all shocked. [But] now I’m out of the shock, and it will be found out how they ended up there. Armenia’s retired general and ex-MP Seyran Saroyan noted this at a press conference on Tuesday. He stated this in connection with the arrest and subsequent incarceration of fellow retired general and former deputy Manvel Grigoryan.
Saroyan said he is not in contact with Grigoryan at this time, but confirmed that he has spoken to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Manvel Grigoryan’s case.
“So that this man [Grigoryan] would not die in jail and we [Armenia] would be humiliated before the entire world,” Saroyan added. “Let’s say, Manvel would not be in jail, he went to their house. Where should he flee? Can he flee the country? The Prime Minister said [to me], ‘dear general, there is an investigation [on Grigoryan], there is medicine. If they see that it’s [Grigoryan’s health condition] really bad, we’ll try to resolve that issue in another way.’”
To the remark that some other former Armenian officials and ex-MPs had fled the country while in freedom, Seyran Saroyan said: “They haven’t fled; they have gone, [but] haven’t come [back].”
Saroyan added, however, that these questions should be asked to them.
“If he’s not guilty, why has he fled?” the retired general and ex-MP asked rhetorically. “Then he’s guilty.”
Seyran Saroyan expressed the confidence that Manvel Grigoryan would not flee if he is released from custody.
On June 6, retired general and ex-MP Manvel Grigoryan’s health condition sharply deteriorated at the capital city Yerevan hospital for convicts, so he was transferred to the “Saint Gregory the Illuminator” Medical Center in Yerevan, and several days later—to “Nairi” Medical Center.
Grigoryan is charged with illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, appropriation of property, tax evasion, squandering of state resources, and organizing of property usurpation through extortion.
In particular, he is accused of appropriating the property that was allocated to meet the needs of soldiers and volunteers who were defending the borders of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) during the four-day war in April 2016 and subsequent days.
Manvel Grigoryan is remanded in custody.
