YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–The preliminary investigation into the October 27 case is to be completed at the end of the month–and within the next few days a decision will be made on whether the case will be sent to the court as single proceedings or separated as special proceedings–Head of the Investigation Department–Military Prosecutor’s Office–Head of the investigator group Artak Harutiunian said.
Harutiunian pointed out that some facts of the case are still being verified–in particular–concerning the accused Mushegh Movsissian and Nairi Badalian. Thereafter–a decision will be made on dismissing the charges against these two accused. Currently–17 persons are accused of the crime–and 13 are under arrest. The prosecution of two persons–Presidential Advisor Alexan Harutiunian and Director of the Armenian National Television Harutiun Harutiunian–was terminated and the charges instituted against them were dismissed for lack of corpus delicti. Harutiunian pointed out that formerly the charges brought against them (abetting and aiding the terrorist act) were based on the previously obtained evidence. After a comprehensive and impartial verification–numerous pieces of evidence were rejected–and a decision was made on dismissing the criminal charge against the afore-mentioned persons. According to the head of the investigator group–among the rejected pieces of evidence were not only the evidence given by Nairi Hunanian against A. Harutiunian–M. Movsissian–H. Harutiunian and N. Badalian–but also others.
Artak Harutiunian said that the Military Prosecutor’s Office made a motion for a two-month extension of the terms of arrests of the eight accused–Nairi Hunanian–Karen Hunanian Derenik Bejanian–Vram Galstian–Eduard Grigorian–Ashot Knyazian–Hamlet Stepanian–and Armen Harutiunian.