ROYAL ARMENIA: "NOT A SENTENCE, BUT A PUNISHMENT"
Panorama.am
20:32 29/08/2007
Today in the inspector general’s courtroom judge Surik Ghazaryan passed
decision concerning the deception case of Royal Armenia’s president,
Gagik Hakopyan. It happens, though, that Hakopyan is in Spain due to
health reasons. However, Hakopyan had presented his local address
and telephone number to the court, saying if necessary he would be
present at hearings.
The court didn’t accept this, saying it was a simple case of deception
on Hakopyan’s part. Attorney Ashot Sargsyan, on behalf of Hakopyan,
told panorama.am that this "wasn’t a sentence, but a punishment."
Hakopyan had asked the case to be delayed for one month, so he
would be able to recover from a recent surgery and participate in
the proceedings. Not taken into consideration was the fact that
a case was also started against Royal Armenia’s vice-president,
Aram Ghazaryan. Prosecutors have asked for the overturning of the
decision by the first instance court in its entirety. September 11
is the scheduled date for the case’s resumption in the inspector
general courtroom.
We remind that on July 16, in the first instance court of Nork-Marash,
it was decided that facts didn’t substantiate the case against the
defendants, acquitting the organization’s leaders and setting them
free from the courtroom.
The defendants are accused of not fulfilling the payment of their
customs taxes. Prosecutors are demanding a 12-year sentence for
Hakopyan and 11 years for Ghazaryan.