YEREVAN. – The first court session on the criminal case of Armenia’s 5th Channel television owner Armen Tavadyan and Varuzhan Mkrtchyan took place Wednesday.

But at the hearing, Artur Mkrtchyan, Chairman of the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan, transferred this case to Judge Karen Farkhoyan. Tavadyan's lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan informed Armenian News-NEWS.am about this.

This criminal case has been joined to the activist Vardges Gaspari v. Armen Tavadyan criminal case, which Judge Farkhoyan already presides over.

Tavadyan is accused of bribing a victim of the March 1, 2008 criminal case in order to give false testimony in court. He was detained for two months.

On March 12, the Criminal Court of Appeal ruled to release Armen Tavadyan from pretrial custody. His lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan had told reporters that the reason for granting their respective appeal was the absence of a reasonable doubt.