Criminal case

In recent practice, instances have frequently been recorded where, in the context of criminal proceedings initiated particularly in relation to economic crimes, investigators have conducted searches after which the doors of business premises, such as shops or pharmacies, have been sealed and closed for an indefinite period of time, thereby de facto suspending the activities of the economic operator.

A citizen of the Dominican Republic, Y.K., accused of attempting to illegally cross the state border of the Republic of Armenia and of using a false document, had been placed under a two-month detention by the decision of the Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan on 18.08.2025.

On September 18, 2025, the Anti-Corruption Court of the Republic of Armenia, presided over by Judge Sargis Petrosyan, delivered a verdict recognizing and declaring the innocence of E.N., the client of our office’s attorney Edgar Ayvazyan, who had been accused of drug trafficking and abuse of official authority.

On August 5, 2025, during a preliminary court hearing held at the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan City, the court, reviewing the case of A.A., the client of our office represented by attorney Edgar Ayvazyan and accused of committing a particularly grave crime (Clause 2 of Part 3, Article 393 of the RA Criminal Code), replaced the pretrial detention with alternative preventive measures — house arrest and a travel ban. When considering the issue of changing the preventive measure, the court gave special attention to the personal characteristics of the accused, for which we thank Judge Susanna Gzogyan for her fair and humane decision.

In the framework of a criminal proceeding being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Republic of Armenia, public criminal prosecution was initiated against our law firm’s client — medical worker L.G., represented by attorney Andranik Mnatsakanyan. The charges were based on alleged commission of crimes under Article 272, Part 2, Clause 3 (accepting a bribe in the private sector for an unlawful action), Article 174, Part 1 (performing an unlawful artificial termination of pregnancy), and Article 457, Part 1 (falsifying documents) of the RA Criminal Code. A decision had also been made to detain the client for the purpose of applying arrest as a preventive measure.

The subdivisions of the General Department for the Investigation of Economic Crimes and Smuggling of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia continue to apply strict criminal procedural measures in proceedings initiated in relation to alleged crimes against economic activity.