Court grants motion to remand son of Armenia`s former finance  minister into custody

ArmInfo.  A public criminal prosecution has been initiated against Artem Khachatryan, the son of former Finance Minister and former Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Gagik Khachatryan. According to Armenian media, this was stated in a statement by Gagik Khachatryan's legal team.

The charges are based on the allegation that he is connected to a  criminal case, under investigation since 2019, concerning abuse of  office and embezzlement of public funds on an especially large scale.  The defense stated that Artem Khachatryan has no connection to the  case, and that the criminal prosecution itself is aimed solely at  putting pressure on the Khachatryan family.

According to the source, the court granted Artem Khachatryan's motion  to remand him in custody. "This is despite the fact that a  preliminary investigation into the incident he is accused of was  conducted back in 2019-2020, and no evidence of a crime was found  even then. However, several days before the elections, the same  incident was unexpectedly and illegally classified as a crime solely  for the purpose of securing the arrest of the individuals in  question," the statement reads.

The lawyers also reported that Artem Khachatryan has been abroad  since May 30, where, following a medical examination, he was ordered  not to leave a medical facility until June 19 and to undergo the  necessary treatment. The relevant documents are available and were  presented to the body conducting the case. However, the lawyers noted  that even these well-founded medical documents were ignored by the  investigative body, which illegally petitioned the court to remand  Artem Khachatryan in custody.

"The court's unfounded decision to remand Artem Khachatryan in  custody will undoubtedly be appealed to the Court of Appeals. Until  then, we urge and strongly recommend that justice agencies act solely  within the law and not succumb to so-called provocations by the  political authorities," the statement reads.