A Yerevan court of general jurisdiction judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan rejected on Tuesday a defense motion to release Manvel Grigoryan, a retired Armenian army general and a former Republican lawmaker facing various criminal charges, from custody pending the outcome of his trial.

His attorney Levon Baghdasaryan had earlier requested the court to release the ex-MP on a bail of 10 million drams, citing his ‘extremely’ poor health condition.

Meanwhile, prosecutors had opposed to the defense motion.

The retired general, who has been receiving treatment in a civil hospital for several weeks, was taken to the courtroom on a wheelchair, hooked up to a ventilator at today’s court hearing into his and his wife Nazik Amiryan’s trial.

Grigoryan is charged with embezzlement of army supplies and illegal procurement and possession of firearms and ammunition in large quantities in a prior agreement with his wife, son and several other individuals, tax evasion and extortion.

He was initially arrested on 19 June last year after being stripped of his parliamentary immunity.

The ex-MP was freed from pre-trial arrest on 21 December on 25 million drams bail – a ruling appealed by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

On 22 January the Yerevan Court of Appeals ruled to re-arrest Grigoryan, who was hospitalized one month later.