Brother of Armenia's new ambassador to US placed under house arrest

The Armavir Court of General Jurisdiction has denied a motion by Armenia's Investigative Committee to detain the brother of Narek Mkrtchyan, former labor minister and newly appointed Armenian ambassador to the U.S. Instead, the court placed him under house arrest and set bail at 2 million drams.

Mkrtchyan’s lawyer, Gegham Hakobyan, told Panorama.am on Saturday that he had not yet received the court’s decision and could not comment on the grounds for the ruling. The defense team will decide whether to appeal the decision once it is delivered.

Mkrtich Mkrtchyan has been charged with illegal arms possession and drug trafficking.