ArmInfo. The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan decided to use a two-month arrest against the former deputy head of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Vahagn Harutyunyan as a measure of restraint in the framework of the March 1, 2008 case, the investigation of which was once headed by the Harutyunyan himself.
The defense of Harutyunyan found this decision illegal and intends to appeal it in the Court of Appeal. The lawyer Mihran Poghosyan told reporters that pressure was put on the court. According to him, the announcement of Harutyunyan on the international wanted list was also illegal, since the investigating body was informed about the whereabouts of the former deputy head of the Investigation Committee, who is currently in Moscow and is undergoing inpatient treatment there. Earlier, ArmIfno reported that charges were brought against the former head of the investigative team in the March 1 case and an expert ballista.
During the preliminary investigation of the events of March 1-2, 2008, it turned out that the former head of the investigative group V.H., in 2007-2011 occupying the position of senior investigator for particularly important cases of the SIS, together with other investigators, police officers and with the assistance of forensic expert A.A. forged evidence. According to the prosecution, having received the proceedings of the events of March 1, he was appointed head of the group. During the investigation, participation in the events of various units of the Defense Ministry of Armenia and their use of weapons during clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement forces were revealed. Meanwhile, the head of the investigative group did not take measures to clarify the circumstances of the killing of a group of people, abused his position, together with some members of the group and the police, with the assistance of a ballistic expert, hid the traces of the crime, forging evidence.
In particular, by decision of March 5, 2008 during the examination, V.H. and the investigator of the same group invited a representative of the commanding staff of the police forces and stated that in order to conceal the participation of units of the Defense Ministry and to deny rumors about their actions, it is necessary to exchange about 1000 cartridges found at the scene of the incident for police cartridges. The high-ranking police officer of the police force, in turn, ordered his subordinates to carry out the assignment. The required number of shots was fired at the shooting range in the village of Getazat, Ararat region. Then the shells were handed over to the SIS and provided to the expert in the person of .A. The latter, assisting V.H., carrying out his order, replaced the liners and entered the required information on the results of the examination into the documents. Further, on December 30, 2008, falsified evidence was attached to the criminal case. "For the falsification of evidence in a criminal case of particular gravity, V.H. was charged under paragraph 1 of article 38-349 of the Criminal Code. Expert A.A. was similarly charged with promoting the falsification of evidence.
V.H. and A.A. are declared wanted. The SIS filed a petition to the court to apply arrest as a measure of restraint. The preliminary investigation of the case is underway, "the report of the investigating body reads. To recall, on July 17, Nikol Pashinyan signed a decree on the release of Major General Vahagn Harutyunyan from the post of Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee, head of the main department for investigating particularly important cases on his own statement. In 2008-2011, Harutyunyan headed the investigation team in the case of the riots on March 1, 2008 and repeatedly assured the media that the case of the events of March 1 was being investigated in full volume. Harutyunyan himself considers the case fabricated and does not accept the charges.