The court extended the arrest of Robert Kocharyan and his son.

The Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia extended the detention period of the country's second president Robert Kocharyan and his son Sedrak for two months, who are accused of financial abuses and money laundering.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 25, former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and his son Sedrak were detained. On the same day, it became known about the charges brought against the third president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan for abuse of power in the case against Robert Kocharyan. After the detention, Kocharyan Sr. felt unwell and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The next day, both were arrested for two months.

Judge of the Anti-Corruption Court Aram Grigoryan granted the prosecutor's request to extend Robert Kocharyan's arrest for another two months. The prosecution justified the need to keep the former president in custody by stating that he could obstruct the investigation if released.

Kocharyan's lawyer Aram Orbelian claims that the materials of the case presented by the prosecutor do not support the arguments for the necessity of arrest, and the charges themselves are based on assumptions.

“According to the lawyer, the circumstances outlined in the materials are presented in an excessively dramatized manner and resemble a fictional description of events,” reported the news agency “News-Armenia”.

In the case, as Orbelian clarified, the questions of the origin of the Kocharyan family's money and assets are not being considered, but the “alleged non-compliance of government decisions with legal requirements” is being investigated. The prosecution believes that while in office, Robert Kocharyan made certain decisions based on personal interest; the defense, in turn, insists that these decisions were made in accordance with procedure, with the participation of the head of government and ministers.

The Anti-Corruption Court also extended today the arrest of the former president's son Sedrak Kocharyan for two months, reports Armenpress.

The lawyers who requested bail for Kocharyan Jr. intend to appeal this decision. Sedrak Kocharyan's defender Akop Kuregyan challenged the prosecution's argument about possible obstruction of the investigation by the accused, “emphasizing that the criminal case concerns alleged events nearly 20 years ago,” writes Armenia Today.

“It was hard to expect anything else, given the overall pressure on the judicial system,” the publication quotes Kuregyan's comment regarding the extension of his client's arrest.