The Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia today overturned the decision to release Deputy Mayor of Goris Menua Hovsepyan on bail and rendered a decision on arrest, Hovsepyan’s attorney Armen Melkonyan said during a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am.
“This is the most embarrassing decision of the Court. How can it arrest a second-degree disabled father of five children who had simply tried to solve the issues of residents of villages near the Goris-Kapan motorway before entering the courtroom? In this case, the institution of release on bail should be banned in general in Armenia, or release on bail shall only be applied for criminals and oligarchs,” he stated, adding that, in his opinion, the arrest is politically motivated.
“His arrest is probably linked to the deployment of customs points, or this is an attempt to intimidate the residents of Kapan ahead of the upcoming mayoral elections,” Melkonyan said, adding that he will dispute the decision in the Court of Cassation.
Hovsepyan is charged with embezzlement or squander by use of official position, in particularly large amounts and coercing to participate in the election campaign by use of official position.
There are three others who are charged under this criminal case, including former Deputy Mayor of Goris Irina Yolyan.