ACCORDING TO COURT, "ROYAL ARMENIA" OWNER WILL FLEE
Panorama.am
20:58 15/10/2007
Today Armenia’s higher court maintained its decision to imprison
"Royal Armenia" owner Gagik Hakopyan for obstruction of justice.
The court believes Hakopyan might avoid charges and flee.
We remind that after 1.9 years in prison, the first instance court
cleared Hakopyan of all charges, after which he left for Spain to
undergo treatment for health problems. He had first asked the court to
delay proceedings for one month, so he could undergo the treatments and
then return to Armenia and take part in the proceedings. Even though
he had given the address he could be found, judge Surik Ghazaryan
said Hakopyan was guilty of obstruction and should be imprisoned. As
promised, Hakopyan returned to Armenian on October 3, but was arrested
upon reached the airport.
Attorney Ashot Sargsyan filed a complaint, saying Ghazaryan hadn’t
been objective in his decision, saying, "Hakopyan was left unaware
of the decision by Ghazaryan’s court, which was made in secret."
The attorney is convinced that the judge is doing all in his power to
keep his position, bringing up the example of judge Barkev Ohanyan,
who made the earlier decision to free Hakopyan, and who apparently
has since run into professional difficulties. Sargsyan also noted that
nothing important passed in the courtroom during Hakopyan’s absence,
making the obstruction charges even more ridiculous.
The high court decided Sargsyan’s complaint was unfounded. This
decision was backed by other prosecutors.