Karapetian’s lawyers revealed on Friday that officers of the Investigative Committee searched on Thursday the home of one of those experts, linguist Vano Yeghiazarian. They said the investigators accused him of “predetermining” expert opinion on the high-profile case offered by a psychologist and a body language specialist.
Yeghiazarian could not be reached for comment. His mobile phone was confiscated during the search.
The Investigative Committee did not deny the information. It declined to comment on the “necessary investigative actions” portrayed by Karapetian’s legal team as further proof that the criminal case is baseless and politically motivated.
Karapetian was arrested on June 18 hours after condemning Pashinian’s attempts to depose the top clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church and vowing to defend it “in our way.” Law-enforcement authorities claim that the statement constituted a call for a violent overthrow of the government..
According to the defense lawyers, all three experts attracted by them denied this months ago. One of the lawyers, Arshak Vartanian, claimed that the interrogations and the ensuing search of the linguist’s apartment are designed to discourage other experts or witnesses in the case against undermining the high-profile criminal case.
Karapetian was also charged with tax evasion, fraud and money laundering in July after deciding to set up a new opposition group that will run in the elections due in June 2026. His loyalists say that Pashinian’s government wants to keep him in jail at least until the showdown vote. Pashinian pledged to “deactivate” the 60-year-old tycoon hours before his arrest.
Karapetian’s Mer Dzevov (In Our Way) movement was officially unveiled in late August. It claims to have enlisted 12,000 members since then. Analysts expect it to be a major election contender.
As many as 53 Investigative Committee investigators are reportedly involved in the continuing criminal proceedings against Karapetian. In Vartanian’s words, they have questioned only 15 or 16 persons so far.
“To our questions that why they did not question this or that person as well, they have replied bluntly, ‘We didn’t interrogate them because we worry that they may testify in your favor,’” claimed another defense lawyer, Ruben Hakobian.
