HAYRAPETYAN CASE: LAWYERS OF JAILED RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN TO APPEAL CUSTODY EXTENSION
HUMAN RIGHTS | 16.09.14 | 10:36
Lawyers of Russian-Armenian businessman Levon Hayrapetyan will appeal
against the decision of a Moscow court to extend his detention until
December 15.
One of the lawyers, Igor Komarov, told Russian media that they will
ask the court to replace the businessman’s imprisonment with house
arrest. “Hayrapetyan’s health may considerably deteriorate if he is
held in custody,” he explained.
Last week the Moscow court extended Hayrapetyan’s arrest for three
months. The court made such a decision despite his lawyers’ statement
that Hayrapetyan suffers from several serious diseases and may not
survive in prison conditions. A bail of 30 million rubles (about
$785,000) and guarantees of authoritative persons were offered.
It also became known at the court sitting last week that a second
criminal case was opened against Hayrapetyan. The 65-year-old
businessman was arrested on July 15 and was later charged with money
laundering and embezzlement. Hayrapetyan is considered to be one of
the wealthiest Armenians in the world. He is known to have invested
millions of dollars into developing Nagorno-Karabakh’s infrastructure
and renovating the area’s historical-cultural monuments. His charity
included a mass wedding for hundreds of Karabakh couples in 2008 and
sponsorship of the construction of a military college in Martakert.