Tonoyan was arrested in 2021 in a criminal investigation into supplies of allegedly outdated rockets to Armenia’s armed forces. The National Security Service charged him, two generals and an arms dealer with fraud and embezzlement that cost the state almost 2.3 billion drams ($5.7 million). All of the suspects, among them former army chief of staff Artak Davtian, have denied the accusations during the trial that began in January 2022.
Tonoyan charged last November that the decision to arrest him was made at a meeting chaired by Pashinian. He went farther on Thursday, saying that the premier is personally “directing” what he regards as his political persecution.
In a statement issued from a Yerevan prison, Tonoyan argued that earlier this month Pashinian publicly rebuked prison guards for allowing him to visit his mother last August. The ex-minister did so while being escorted back to the prison from the Armenian parliament where he testified before a parliamentary commission investigating the 2020 war with Azerbaijan.
During a February 14 meeting with Justice Minister Grigor Minasian and other officials, Pashinian wondered whether “measures” were taken against security officials responsible for the “very scandalous incident.” Minasian replied that the chief of the Kentron prison and one of its prison guards were fired late last year.
Tonoyan insisted that neither he nor any official broke the law because a Yerevan court allowed him to be absent from the prison for up to two hours. He argued that he did not stay outside the prison longer than that.
Tonoyan attributed Pashinian’s “keen attention” to his meeting with his mother to his testimony given to the parliamentary commission boycotted by opposition lawmakers. He did not elaborate.
The Armenian government did not comment on the claims. Pashinian’s press secretary did not return phone calls from RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Tonoyan refrained from criticizing Pashinian’s handling of the disastrous war in his opening remarks at the commission hearing open to the media. He went on to testify behind the closed doors.
Pashinian had appointed Tonoyan as defense minister right after coming to power in 2018. He sacked the latter in the wake of Armenia’s defeat in the six-week war.