Armenian Prosecutor General Refused to Meet with Relatives of Former Official Accused of Bribery

Armenian General Prosecutor Gevorg Kostanyan refused to meet with Sahak Harutyunyan's relatives protesting outside and personally accept their letter, Harutyunyan's wife, Elza Sahakyan, informed Epress.am

Recall, Armenian Ministry of Justice employees Sahak Harutyunyan and Aleksander Khachatryan are accused of extorting a bribe of 400,000 AMD (a little less than $1,000 USD) from the victim. The charge was compiled based on the victim's testimony, but he later said in court that he testified against Sahak Harutyunyan upon the request of investigators.

Employees at the prosecutor's office said that Deputy Prosecutor General Hrach Badalyan could've met with them; however, he is on vacation.

In any case, Harutyunyan's relatives said that they delivered to the prosecutor's office facts and videos which prove that the accusation is unfounded and fabricated, compiled on the basis of the victim's ever-changing testimony.

Recall, according to the defense, the victim testified against Harutyunyan under pressure and after being tortured by police; while in court, he said that Harutyunyan never asked him for money.