Serzh Sargsyan's lawyer asks court to end his prosecution

The Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday continued hearings in the case against Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan. Defense lawyer Amram Makinyan requested the court to drop the prosecution, arguing that evidence was obtained in violation of procedural law and cannot serve as a basis for charges.

Prosecutors opposed the motion, saying it was filed at the wrong stage of proceedings.

Sargsyan faces charges linked to land privatization deals dating back about 20 years, when he served as defense minister. He is accused of 18 counts of large-scale misappropriation of property, two counts of money laundering through abuse of office and three counts of assisting money laundering in connection with the alleged illegal allocation of land near Yerevan’s Isakov Avenue and Yerablur Military Pantheon.