Former Vanadzor mayor Samvel Darbinyan and his brother Seyran Darbinyan had their previously imposed house arrest revoked. Their lawyer Ruben Hakobyan informed Sputnik Armenia.
The attorney stated: “Two preventive measures were applied — they were released on 3 million dram bail, and subjected to administrative supervision and a prohibition on absence. The prosecutor argued that even house arrest was unnecessary and requested detention, but the court rejected the public prosecutor’s motion.”
Samvel Darbinyan and four others were arrested on June 23. They face charges under Article 296(3)(2) and (3) of the Armenian Criminal Code, pertaining to money laundering on a particularly large scale, using authoritative or official position or the influence associated with it. On June 24 it was revealed that Samvel and Seyran Darbinyan had been placed under house arrest. Samvel Darbinyan served as head of Vanadzor community from 1999 to 2016.
