Epress.am News from Armenia
The Shirak District Court of First Instance today sentenced former Gyumri mayor Vardan Ghukasyan's nephew Vahe Ghukasyan to 17 years in prison. The prosecution had asked for a 22-year sentence.
Ghukasyan is accused of participating in a shooting on Shirakatsi Street in Gyumri on April 23 that resulted in two men — Harutyun Khachatryan and Artyom Karapetyan — being taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. The latter died in hospital.
On April 24, Ghukasyan confessed at the Gyumri police station that he fired a shot during the incident, killing Karapetyan and injuring Khachatryan. The two men were close to Prosperous Armenia Party MP Martun Grigoryan.
Ghukasyan's attorney Hayk Alumyan, in conversation with Epress.am, said they will be appealing the ruling, since the court didn't taken into account all the evidence when issuing the verdict. Alumyan claims his client was acting in self-defense, and this is proven by the fact that he was not the first person who fired a shot, which all the witness testimonies confirmed.