Lawyer says Samvel Karapetyan should have been freed after court decision

Armenian businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, who has spent nearly five months in pre-trial detention, should have already been released under a recent court decision, his legal team argued on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference, Aram Vardevanyan, head of Karapetyan’s defense team, said the Investigative Committee has submitted a new motion to extend the businessman’s detention by another two months.

Vardevanyan noted that the investigative group consists of 53 investigators and has been working on the case since July, yet continues to request more time from the court while insisting Karapetyan remain in custody.

“This alone is enough to say that what is taking place has nothing to do with proper legal process,” Vardevanyan said.

The lawyer also highlighted recent decisions by the Armenian Court of Cassation’s Anti-Corruption Chamber.

According to Vardevanyan, on 13 November the Anti-Corruption Court of Appeals rejected a prosecution appeal, effectively leaving in place only what he described as the “absurd” charge stemming from Karapetyan’s public remarks in support of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He stated the economic-related accusations had failed to meet the legal threshold of “reasonable suspicion”.

Vardevanyan argues that the remaining charge carries a maximum pre-trial investigation period of five months set to expire on 18 November.

“This means Samvel Karapetyan should no longer be in custody once that deadline passes,” he said.