Serzh Sargsyan: 'Do I look like someone who could flee?'

Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said on Wednesday that he would never abandon his homeland, responding to allegations that he might attempt to leave the country while standing trial in the Anti-Corruption Court.

“Do I look like someone who could flee? When have I ever run away that I would do so now?” Sargsyan told reporters after a court hearing. “Even if I were certain that an Armenian court would sentence me to death, I would not leave. This is my country, not theirs. It’s my homeland, where would I run from it?”

His attorney, Ruben Hakobyan, said that the prosecutors' motion to impose a travel ban on the former president had been rejected and bail remained in place as the preventive measure.