COFFEE SUPPLIERS IMPRISONED FOR FAKE CAUSE, PRESS CONFERENCE SAYS

Panorama.am
18:42 12/02/2007

Gagik Hakobyan, president of Royal Armenia and Aram Ghazaryan, deputy
director of the same company, have been in prison for 16 months. They
are accused in customs and tax fraud.

The defense attorneys of the accused, Ashot Sargsyan and Gevorg
Minasyan held a press conference today together with Tatul Manaseryan,
deputy of the National Assembly. Manaseryan is sure the case if faked
and does not meet the reality. "I am sure about that, otherwise,
I would not speak from this stage," he said. Ashot Sargsyan, defense
attorney, is also sure that law enforcement officials are executing
someone’s orders. "Mnatsakan Marukhyan, investigator of national
security service, has received the order, made his eyes red and
switched off his brain," Sargsyan said.

He said they want to oust Royal Armenia from the market because
Gagik Hakobyan, president of the company, has spoken about bribery
in the customs service. Sargsyan said his client has named Gagik
Khachatryan, deputy head of customs committee. The press conference
participants said Gagik Khachatryan has special interest in coffee
supplier companies. They said, "The president of the Republic knows
about the case but, unfortunately, has been misinformed."