Your trusted source

The lawyers of Armenia’s former Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan continue to insist that their client is being held in custody in a discriminatory manner.

Tonoyan was arrested on 30 September on charges of “fraud and embezzlement of large sums of money” as part of a criminal probe into supplies of allegedly faulty ammunition to the Armenian army.

“In addition to the fact that the court hearings are held behind closed doors, they are held once every 2 months for various technical reasons,” they said in a statement on Monday.

“Moreover, the next court hearing is scheduled for May 2, 2022. In fact, the court has been idle for three months. We assess it as psychological abuse and punishment for the arrested persons, as Davit Tonoyan also stated at the Court of Criminal Appeals, at the same time demanding a public trial,” the lawyers said.

“To the question of presiding judge Mnatsakan Harutyunyan what, according to him, was the goal of holding the hearings behind closed doors, Davit Tonoyan said: “So that the public would not know that the accusations are groundless.”

“Davit Tonoyan also stated in the Court of Appeals that he had made the right decision on the acquisition of missiles, which at that stage helped enhance the capacity of the Armenian military, a striking proof of which is that contrary to the claims that the purchased missiles were not used during the 44-day war and the training, the evidence obtained in the criminal case has proved the contrary.

“Another important circumstance posing a real threat to the replenishment of the Armenian armed forces and increase of combat effectiveness is that no appropriate steps have been taken to ensure the further use of the ammunition and its storage, since its use is prohibited,” the statement reads.