18:05, 5 July 2007

Defender of ex-head of Armenian MFA to appeal against court's verdict in Arzumanian's case

Ovik Arsenyan, advocate of Alexander Arzumanian, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, has filed a petition to the Appeal Court claiming to appeal against the first instance court's decision on extension by two months the ex-Minister's custody term.

We note here that the first instance court of the of Yerevan's communities Kentron and Nork-Marash extended, by its decision dated July 2, Alexander Arzumanian's custody term by additional two months. In his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, Ovik Arsenyan expressed his bewilderment with the fact that the court had failed to mention in its decision the petition of the defence and the appeal of 20 deputies asking to change A. Arzumanian's freedom restriction measure.

According to Melissa Brown, ex-Minister's wife, the Service of National Security had arrested her husband on suspicion of money laundering, and only after arrest was trying to get any evidences of the presented charges. She is also bewildered with the fact that during all this time she could see her husband only thrice, and his mother, sister and son were prohibited to do this at all.

Author: Ashot Ter-Grigorian, CK correspondent