YEREVAN. – Speaking to Armenian News-NEWS.am, Norayr Panosyan—former Head of the Legality Oversight Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice and whose wedding best man was president Hrayr Tovmasyan of the Constitutional Court (CC) of Armenia—called the charges against him "groundless."

As reported earlier, the Criminal Court of Appeal today granted the motion by the attorney of Panosyan to commute the lower court’s decision to arrest his client, and Panosyan was released from the courtroom.

Panosyan said he does not accept the charges against him. “It is groundless,” he said. “There is no corpus delicti in any way. "

Commenting on the journalist's observation that many believe his arrest was linked to the situation regarding the CC president, Panosyan said he had been indicted for that very reason.

Panosyan's lawyer Tigran Atanesyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that he has not yet gotten familiarized with the grounds for the aforesaid Criminal Court of Appeal ruling, but said he assumes that his client was released in the absence of reasonable doubt.

On January 9, the court had granted the Special Investigation Service's petition, and decided that Panosyan be arrested..

On November 6, 2019, the Criminal Court of Appeal had released Norayr Panosyan from custody on the grounds of the absence of reasonable doubt.

The charge against Panosyan was complemented, he was charged also with abuse of power, and a motion to re-arrest him was filed.